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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28412946">After Michael Comes Back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofiyathealmostwriter/pseuds/sofiyathealmostwriter'>sofiyathealmostwriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Michael: From Breakup to Makeup [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Princess Diaries - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Exes, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:41:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>40,944</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28412946</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofiyathealmostwriter/pseuds/sofiyathealmostwriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A multi-part series about Michael moving back to New York after almost 2 years living abroad in Japan. Read as he transitions from being "completely over" Mia to knowing that he wants Mia back. Disclaimer: All the characters and general storyline belong to Meg Cabot, as well as some direct quotes from Book 10.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michael Moscovitz/Mia Thermopolis, Michael Moscovitz/Other(s), Tina Hakim Baba/Boris Pelkowski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Michael: From Breakup to Makeup [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A New Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Honestly, I'm not sure why I can't stop writing this story. I'm about 10 years too late, but I recently read the entire Princess Diaries series for the first time (thank you, quarantine) and I've just fallen in love with Michael and Mia. </p><p>Anyway, if someone does end up reading this, enjoy! If not, I enjoyed writing it regardless.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>White. Stark white. All around him. Glancing out the window, the only things Michael could see were clouds. He already felt like he was stuck in a never-ending dream and watching the clouds zip past him didn’t help. He glanced over to his longtime coworker and good friend, Kenji, who was sleeping peacefully in the seat next to him. Almost immediately after they had boarded, Kenji downed a few glasses of champagne and plopped on the cushy facemask provided. He was asleep within minutes, an occasional snore escaping his mouth. Even though Michael was well-aware of how much money they were making from his robotic arms, he couldn’t fathom the thought that he was sitting in a $10,000 first-class seat being treated like royalty.</p><p>Well, figuratively. He knew how real royalty was treated, and they hardly flew commercial.</p><p>He took a deep breath and glanced up at the fan above his head. It had been almost 2 years since their project began and when asked about how it felt, all Michael could muster up was ‘Surreal<em>’</em>. Because that’s what it was. The work had been grueling and there was a long time where it just seemed like there wasn’t any light at the end of the tunnel. There had been so much pressure from investors and doctors and everyone else and it had seemed like they were never going to get it to work.</p><p>But then, only around 3 months ago, everything just seemed to click for them. They started making progress every day- And in a blink of an eye, they realized that there was no more work to be done. The CardioArm was ready to go.  </p><p>And in a flash, he was finally going home.</p><p>Michael hadn't been to the States since the project began. Between the time traveling would have taken, and the time spent actually visiting, and the unforgiving jetlag that would follow, he was never able to make it happen. The work was too much to lose that sort of time. But he had been fortunate enough to have his family come to visit him a few times over Lilly’s school breaks (she got punkier every time he saw her, to the mild distress of their parents). He had even been visited by a few friends when possible.</p><p>But this was so different. Michael was going to be back in the city he was raised in, the city he loved, and the only real place that truly felt like <em>home</em> to him. And he was coming back more accomplished and successful than he could have ever dreamed. He had always expected to graduate Columbia, maybe go to grad school, and land a nice job at some tech firm, but he never expected to be the <em>owner</em> of a tech company and a self-made multimillionaire at the age of twenty-one. It all just seemed so… <em>Surreal</em>.</p><p>“Would you like a hot towel?” Michael twitched slightly as he looked to the source of the soft voice, having been startled out of his thoughts.</p><p>The pretty flight attendant looked at him with a slightly apologetic smile, holding a tray of towels and some tongs. Michael politely shook his head, grimacing to himself as she moved on to the next row. He suppressed the urge to groan and cracked open the book he had brought with him. Maybe some reading would help him handle his nerves a little better.</p><p>After re-reading the same page about 5 times, Michael shut his book and glanced over to see what the person a few rows ahead was watching. He almost choked on his own saliva when he realized that they were watching one of the movies about <em>her </em>life. From what he could tell, it was the sequel he had never watched because he had been written out of it. He forced his gaze back towards the window.</p><p>It almost made him laugh to think about a large reason why he went to Japan in the first place. Yeah, it was an amazing opportunity that he really couldn’t have passed up. But it was also amazing because back then he had every intention of one day becoming a Prince Consort and wanted to prove his worth. Oh God, had he really been a 19-year-old kid planning his entire life around his first serious girlfriend? Sure, they had been in love, but really? She was still in high school at the time and he had barely even begun college. Come to think of it, she was <em>still</em> in high school. <em>I guess that’s what love and teenage hormones do.</em></p><p>Michael hadn’t dated very much while he was in Japan. He was way too busy and in all honestly, hadn’t found anyone who was really worth the distraction. But that didn’t mean that he was still hung up over his ex-girlfriend. The days of him pining were long over and she only crept into his mind on occasions such as now, when he had nothing to do except think about New York. Thinking of, did he ever get the chance to tell her that he was coming back? Hmm. Actually, had he ever even told her that the project was doing so well? He thought back and realized that his last message to her must have been months ago and that she never replied. He had a slightly sinking feeling, they had been friendly…</p><p><em>Oh well</em>, he probably wouldn’t even run into her anytime soon. The only potential place would be her and Lilly’s graduation, but he doubted they would have any reason to talk then either. It had been made clear to Michael that she and Lilly still weren’t on speaking terms. It hadn’t felt good to know that he had a part in ruining a 10-year long friendship, but it was evident that there was nothing that could be done. And Michael did feel a lot better once Lilly actually explained to him the real reason that (asshat) <em>guy</em> dumped her. And the fact that her best friend had immediately started dating him after all the signs were there? Oof.</p><p>In the dozens of emails exchanged back and forth, neither she nor Michael ever brought up anything relating to their romantic lives. They kept their messages strictly friendly and generally impersonal. But that didn’t mean that Michael wasn’t aware of her long-term relationship.</p><p>Although he never asked directly, Boris would sometimes mention that guy in passing. Michael wasn’t sure if it was for his benefit or not, but Boris typically spoke of the guy in a negative sense (“he spent the <em>entire</em> lunch period talking about his stupid play”, “he interrupted Tina AGAIN today and no one else noticed!!”, “he laughed when I said I was thinking about getting an electric guitar”). As much as Michael was over his ex-girlfriend, he did crack a grin whenever Boris bad-mouthed the dude.</p><p>He honestly couldn’t believe that she was still dating him. Although Michael was sure that she didn’t have a clue about what he did to Lilly, he privately agreed with Lil that it was ridiculous she didn’t see the signs. It seemed pretty obvious from an outsider’s perspective that he was using her for something, fame, prestige, whatever. And although he had initially tried to convince Lilly to tell her everything, Michael now understood her reasons for not doing so. She was a <em>princess and</em> had been a celebrity for years now. She was definitely old enough and more than intelligent enough to be able to figure out the friends from the phonies. And honestly, who really knew? Maybe she did know and didn’t care, or maybe that guy really did love her, and she just knew better than everyone.</p><p>And anyway, <em>who cares?</em> At this point, she and Michael were nothing more than friendly acquaintances (if that). He would probably just end up a footnote in the biography of her life, labeled as one of her “high school boyfriends”. </p><p>However, he half-smiled, there was much more to his life now than just being a princess’ ex-boyfriend. So much that one day he might have his own biography filled with pages about his important work. Hell, maybe she would end up just being a fun fact (“first girlfriend, current Princess of Genovia”). That idea alone was enough to calm Michael of his nerves and he felt some confidence working its way out. He maintained his grin as he grabbed his headphones and shut the window blind, intending to enjoy some of the impressive entertainment options offered in first class.</p>
<hr/><p>After getting picked up from the airport by his parents, sister, and grandma, the first thing Michael wanted to do was stop and get a hotdog from the greasiest stand he could find. The second was to get a long-awaited hug from his dog as soon as he got to his parents’ apartment.</p><p>Despite being older, Pavlov ran towards Michael with all of his might and the boy threw his backpack on the ground right in time to fully embrace the sheltie. Although he had gotten to see his family while he was living in Japan, they had never been able to bring along Pavlov. While his face got soaked in dog licks, Michael realized that he had probably missed his dog more than anyone else. It took about 20 minutes before Lilly was able to convince him to finally go take a much-needed shower.</p><p>“Seriously, you <em>reek</em>. You smell like a mixture of old sushi and some God-awful BO,” she complained, wafting the air around her nose. With an eye roll, Michael gently pushed the extremely happy dog off of him and got up. Before making his way towards the hallway, he not-so-subtlety stretched his arms directly in front of his sister, giving her a small smirk. She responded in an equally mature manner by roughly shoving him towards the bathroom and fake gagging. Michael let out a laugh as she forcibly shut the bathroom door once he was in it.</p><p>It was <em>so </em>good to be home.</p><p>Basically, most things in the apartment were exactly as they had been when Michael left. His parents, noticeably much happier now than they had been a couple of years ago, had done a small amount of remodeling, but it was hardly noticeable. Lilly's room was a little more grown-up and lined up with her new look. She had a few more posters scattered around, primarily filled with heavily tattooed men in eyeliner, and Michael noticed a picture frame that had previously featured Lilly with her former best friend was now replaced with her and Kenny, who was equally, if not more, punk than her. </p><p>Michael’s own room was exactly as he had left it. His shelves were lined with old books, sheet music, and <em>Star Wars</em> trinkets. His guitar still stood on its stand, woefully out of tune due to its lack of use over the years. His ceiling was still covered with his glow-in-the-dark constellation. And with a quick peek under the bed, there was still a medium-sized box tucked away, now covered in a layer of dust. When he had been packing for his big move, Michael left the box there for safekeeping so he could retrieve it when he finally moved back. But now as it lay hidden, it was more of a bittersweet reminder.</p><p>His initial thought was to toss it and its contents down the trash chute, but he immediately squashed that. Sure, maybe they weren’t meant to be. But they had been happy together for quite a long time, and she would always be his first love.</p><p>So, the box was going to stay in his childhood bedroom at his parents’ apartment collecting dust indefinitely. Maybe one day he would be able to look back into it with fondness (or indifference), but for now, he was just going to leave it alone.</p><p>Yes, Michael was definitely and completely over Mia Thermopolis.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! This story is finished (but may be added onto in the future if inspiration strikes) so feel free to end with the comfort of knowing that it has an ending! Thank you for any and all Kudos, and especially for any comments because they're always appreciated. Happy reading! xx Sofiya</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Ceremony</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Although he almost couldn’t believe it, Michael was somehow even busier during his first days back in New York than he had been back in Japan. His first night was amazing and relaxing, consisting of a special family-only dinner carefully constructed by Maya, who greeted the boy with a large hug and all of his favorite foods. He was honestly so happy and exhilarated that he barely registered the toll that jetlag had put on him until he put his head on his pillow and was instantly dead to the world.</p><p>The next day was much more stressful for the young tech guru. For starters, he woke up around 4 in the morning to the city lights and sirens that New York was so famous for. He had never noticed how loud the city was growing up, always so used to it. He ended up restlessly lying in bed for around an hour until he realized that he was never going to fall back asleep. During that time, he went over his schedule and to-dos for the next few days in his head. He was meeting with his realtor later that morning, and then had a bunch of business stuff to do… And he had to write his speech for the ceremony honoring him (!) at Columbia the next day. Once his schedule was carefully laid out in his mind, it ended up wandering over to the box that was situated immediately below him. This was only for a split second though, because he jumped out of bed before he could even finish that thought.</p><p>It was still extremely early, but Michael was wide awake, so he went for a quick jog around the neighborhood. This was somewhat of a new habit he had developed during his time in Japan, because it was one of the rare times where he didn’t have to think about anything.</p><p>He was able to rest his mind a bit while taking in the neighbor changes that had been made while he was away. Some stores and restaurants were different, but his favorite bookstore and bodega were still holding on. The sun was peeking out now, and although the streets were mostly empty, the sounds of honking and sirens were still definitely prevalent. It was a bit odd, but the sound was now making him feel more nostalgic than annoyed.  </p><p>He went back up to the apartment when he was done and was relieved to see that no one was out in the kitchen yet. He took a quick shower and changed into a button-down and some nice pants. Casual enough for the apartment-hunting, but formal enough for his meetings later. He glanced in the mirror and was pleased enough; it may not have been the jeans and a T-shirt look he would have preferred, but it was still mostly him.</p><p>Leaving a note on the kitchen counter, Michael left the apartment just as the morning work crowd began moving around. He walked to a coffee shop he had passed on his jog and waited in the line filled with working adults dressed in suits and blazers. At least he didn’t have to wear something like <em>that </em>all the time, he thought, glancing down at his own shirt.</p><p>He ordered his usual (large dark roast with 1 packet of sugar and no creamer… boring but effective) and decided to sit down at the bar by the window. It was still too early to go meet his realtor, so he spent some time staring out into the streets. He was a bit annoyed at himself for not thinking to bring his laptop, but he tried to enjoy the people-watching. </p><p>When that activity had worn itself thin, Michael paid for a newspaper and began skimming through it. He thought he saw a suspicious head of blonde in the society pages, but he quickly flipped over it. He did, however, stop and almost spit out his sip of coffee when he reached the Science and Technology section.</p><p>Sure, Michael knew that his project was a big deal in the medical community and that there would be articles coming out sometime. He could be as modest as he wanted, but there was no denying that people were talking about his project. And he had been prepared for the interviews, ceremonies, and general butt-kissing he would be enduring for the next few months (perhaps years), but seeing it in a <em>national</em> news source, printed in black-and-white, made it feel all too real. There was a huge article smack-dab in the middle of the paper written all about the CardioArm- and <em>him</em>. He blinked rapidly as he read through. It said it all: the project, the money, the first in its class. He counted his own name 5, <em>no 6</em>, times. And there was no mention of a famous ex-girlfriend, nothing about his personal life at all. It was all just praise for him and Pavlov Surgical.</p><p>After re-reading the article 1 or 2 times (maybe more like 3 or 4), Michael finally took the rest of the paper and threw it into the trash along with his finished coffee. As he folded up the article and carefully tucked it into his pocket, Michael couldn’t help but feel a certain swagger wash all over him. Surreal really was the only way to describe how he felt.</p><p>He still felt like he was floating on air as he flagged down a taxi to go meet his realtor. That confidence made him even more excited to be looking at places for himself. It wasn’t so much that Michael couldn’t stand the idea of staying with his parents, but he had spent almost 2 years living on his own and didn’t think it would be possible to go back. He needed to keep moving forward, or else risk regressing back into the nerdy computer geek he once was.</p><p>The first apartment was a dud, as was the second. Michael wasn’t overtly picky with where he wanted to live, but there were a few important things that his new home that were non-negotiable. Firstly, it had to be near Pavlov Surgical’s new office. Secondly, it had to have the best WiFi capabilities possible. And thirdly, it needed to be walking distance from a good bodega, coffee shop, and video store.</p><p>They struck gold with the third option. It was a fashionable loft, perfect for any young tech millionaire. It had lots of natural light and interesting arches and blah blah, everything realtors love to talk about. More importantly for Michael, he could walk to his office in under 10 minutes and he liked the general vibe of the place. The space was much bigger than he had ever imagined for his first apartment, but he couldn’t deny that he had the means for it.  </p><p>Because he wanted to move in as soon as possible, they promised to draw up the contracts quickly and that he would be able to move in as early as next week. Feeling like his shoulders were already lighter, Michael rushed out for his next task.  </p><p>It was barely noon yet, but he had a business lunch followed by several meetings with hospital chairmen to discuss buying a CardioArm. After that, Michael was set to interview several business managers in the hopes that he wouldn’t have to plan his days around these types of meetings anymore.</p><p>And even though the day was filled with so much laborious talking and planning, that swagger Michael had gotten in the morning never faded. He was confident and dealt with everything that came his way with an almost ease (he still felt the nerves, but no one else noticed). </p><p>By the time he got home for dinner, Michael was extremely exhausted, and his jet lag was overpowering him. He felt like a zombie, just getting himself through the motions. Still, he forced a smile and sat down with his family to eat dinner.</p><p>Kenny joined them this time, which would have probably been a bit weird for Michael if he wasn’t too tired to care. It sometimes hit him that his sister’s boyfriend was his ex’s ex and that Michael had basically been trying to steal his girlfriend throughout their half their relationship (all of two months of it). After Michael’s own breakup, he felt a little big guilty over the whole thing once he realized how much it sucked to know that your ex was immediately dating someone new. And Michael had started going out with her the <em>same day </em>Kenny had broken up with her</p><p>But all of that was ancient history now. Kenny was now cool, with his new look and even newer attitude. He no longer resembled the geeky freshman he once was and was now a grown-ass punk dude who was going to MIT in the fall to study rocket science or something. He also now liked to be called Kenneth, which Michael almost laughed in response to, but stifled once his sister gave him a swift kick under the table. Overall, things were fine between them and Michael was just glad to see how happy Lilly was with him.</p><p>“I do need to ask that you take out your piercings for tomorrow, Lilly, for the ceremony…” his mom looked uneasy as she spoke, giving a nervous glance towards her daughter. It was extremely clear that she wasn’t overly fond of Lilly’s look. She had mentioned previously to Michael that they, the psychoanalysts they were, thought Lilly’s look new was simply an act of rebellion on account of her leaving for college soon. He wasn’t convinced, however, considering Lilly was going to Columbia, which could hardly be counted as “moving away”.</p><p>Lilly rolled her eyes and Nana looked like she was about to start, but Michael cut in, wanting to avoid an argument, “no, Mom, it’s totally fine. No one will even-“</p><p>“Nah, I don’t mind,” Lilly interrupted, which surprised Michael. “I just want to be there and support you.” He gave her a small, grateful smile; his time in Japan had seemed to bring them closer than ever.</p><p>“Fantastic,” Dad started. “Will you also be joining us tomorrow, Kenneth?”</p><p>The younger boy nodded earnestly and gave a grin, “I would definitely like to, assuming that’s alright.” Michael almost snorted. <em>I guess no matter how cool you may look, it’s still important to be polite to your girlfriend’s parents. </em></p><p>The jet lag caused Michael to realize that they were all looking at him for confirmation a few awkward moments too late, but finally, he realized and nodded a bit too eagerly. “Oh, yeah, of course. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” He gave them a wide smile as he pushed a pea around his plate.</p><p>After a few more minutes of drifting in and out of conversation, Michael’s mother insisted that he go to bed. Unfortunately for him, his final thought before passing out was the speech he had forgotten to write for the ceremony the next day.</p><p>Michael’s second night at home was not nearly as restful as the one before had been. He kept having swirling images, one of which featured Pavlov doing surgery on some patient with the CardioArm, only the patient wasn’t really a person and was instead-<em>what even is that?</em></p><p>And then there he was performing a sold-out show in Madison Square Garden with Skinner Box. Only when he finally got on stage to perform, the only people in the audience were bald men in suits who wouldn’t stop showing him spreadsheets. And then they were replaced by a bunch of robots.</p><p>Finally, he was at some sort of party- there were basketball hoops and rice and snowflakes everywhere. He could make out some figure walking towards him, but the hazy image finally came into view.</p><p>Michael woke up with a start while it was still dark outside. He had a bit of a headache and massaged his temple with one hand. <em>Why </em>did she keep popping up? He had rarely thought of her while he was in Japan, but almost as soon as he left, it was like everything reminded him of her. Did she have to deal with this too, being in the city? Did he ever pop into her mind when she passed the Rockefeller Center? Or whenever she caught <em>Star Wars </em>on TV?</p><p>Probably not. She had made plenty of new memories while he was gone.</p><p>Groaning to himself, he covered his face with a pillow, the sounds of sirens outside his window pounding against his headache. He could really use a few more hours of sleep before the big ceremony, and he would have to be ready to write his speech as soon as he woke up.</p><p>After some tossing in his bed, Michael was able to fall back asleep. Luckily for him, he had no more dreams and woke up a few hours after the sun had risen. This time, he could hear some movement out in the hallway.</p><p>He stared up at the stars on his ceiling, really appreciating them for the first time in years. When he was in high school, he used to do this quite often, whenever he needed to think or get out of his head. They were a source of comfort for him, particularly on a day like this.</p><p>After some time, he (almost reluctantly) got out of bed and immediately sat down at his desk. He got out a sheet of paper and pen and racked his brain for what he was going to say. He wasn’t much of a writer and generally preferred to type rather than handwrite, but this speech needed to be good. This was his first real press event for the finished project, and he was expected to show it off well.</p><p>He tapped his pen on the paper for a few moments and considered what he needed to say… He would start by thanking everyone, of course, and then explaining the inspiration for Pavlov Surgical. He smiled slightly when he imagined the chuckles from the audience when he told them that he named the company after his dog and not the famous psychologist. And then he’d introduce the rest of the team, including the other engineers and big-time investors.</p><p><em>What else, what else… </em>Oh right, actually presenting the CardioArm. That was the big one. He mapped out a rough explanation and presentation for the project, but that was honestly the part he was least worried about. He had shown off the arm so many times by now, that it actually sometimes felt like a part of him. <em>Guess that’s it. </em>Then he’d hand over the speech to whoever was presenting him and get to invite his family up on stage.</p><p>After a quick run-through in his head, Michael thought his writeup was pretty good. He wasn’t much for public speaking, but he knew this project better than anyone and he was proud of it, which helped calm him down. And really, how many people would actually be coming to this thing? He was probably most nervous about his family being there and trying not to just watch them while he was talking. He had been reminded, multiple times now, to make sure to look through the audience as a whole during a speech.</p><p>Just as he was finishing up, Michael heard a knock on the door. He opened his mouth to let the person come in, but it had sprung open before he could get any words out.</p><p>“Mom wants to make sure you’re up.”</p><p>“Geez, you know the point of knocking is to wait for the other person to answer?”</p><p>Lilly simply shrugged, “I knocked, that’s what’s important. I guess this means that you’re up.”</p><p>Michael rolled his eyes in response and nodded. “Ye-huh.”</p><p>His sister stuck her tongue out and went to close the door, but purposely left it just slightly open before stalking away to the kitchen.</p><p><em>I guess sisters never change. </em>More amused than irritated, Michael went to shower and get ready for one of the biggest and most important events of his life.</p><p>After grabbing the garment bag holding his suit, Michael headed to the kitchen and gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek. He wasn’t normally one for showing much affection, but he was so happy to be back that it was almost automatic. “I’ve got to head out, but I’ll meet you guys there around 2 pm?”</p><p>Dr. Moscovitz gave her son a large smile, “We’ll all be there looking our best.” She gave a quick glance at Lilly who was sitting at the table eating breakfast. She was not supporting any face jewelry this morning. Michael caught her roll her eyes into her cereal at their mother’s comment, but his mom looked back at him with a glint of tears in her eyes. “We’re so proud of you, Michael.”</p><p>He gave her an awkward smile and looked down at his feet, feeling his face getting hot. He really appreciated it, but it was also just <em>so </em>embarrassing for some reason. Giving a quick wave, Michael rushed out the door, taking a few deep breaths as he stepped into the elevator. Pressure, that’s what he was feeling. Lots and lots of pressure.</p><p>He had an appointment to get his hair cut that morning and was then going to head straight for the event. The ceremony wasn’t set to start until two, but he and the team were being treated to lunch beforehand with a few of the department’s faculty.</p><p>The hair appointment had been made by the company’s publicist and was at a much fancier place than Michael would have ever step foot in 2 years ago. Most of the hairdressers were French or Italian and gushed over Michael’s natural curls. He knew that they had been told that he had some big ceremony to attend so they were buttering him up, but he could see his cheeks getting redder by the minute.</p><p>After an incredibly long hour, Michael’s hair was cut and styled to perfection. He actually couldn’t believe how he looked when they turned him towards the mirror. He was definitely not a dorky, gangly teenager anymore. The haircut made him realize how broad his shoulders had gotten, and his jaw was more pronounced than he had ever seen. He looked… Good, he thought.</p><p>
  <em>Surreal.</em>
</p><p>The next thing he knew, Michael was being ushered into a fancy conference room at Columbia University’s Medical Center. Most of his coworkers were already there, conversing with themselves or people from the university. Before he could even sit down, there were multiple people coming up to him, shaking his hand and asking him questions about the project. Although he just smiled and gave them answers with as much confidence as he could muster, Michael’s head was spinning. He was again reminded of just how <em>important </em>he was now.</p><p>After a few minutes of nonstop questioning, the head department chair invited everyone to sit down and eat. “Mr. Moscovitz will be answering more questions at the ceremony, let him relax a little before then!”</p><p>Luckily for him, the conversation moved away to other subjects as they ate. Michael barely had to speak at all as he gulped down his lunch. His nerves were really starting to build the closer they got to the actual ceremony. It’s not like he had to speak in front of a large group of people every day. Sure, he ran the team meetings and spoke to investors and whatnot, but he had never had to make a speech at an actual event before.</p><p>What was that quote that he used to know? The one about Eleanor Roosevelt? Something about fear or inferiority or whatever?</p><p>But before Michael could think of the quote, lunch was over, and the event was about to start. He was taken over to the back of the stage along with his colleagues. As he recounted the bullet points of his speech, he peeked around the stage and saw dozens- no, hundreds- of people. People that were waiting for the ceremony. Hundreds of people that were waiting for <em>his </em>ceremony.</p><p>For a split second, he wanted to barf. Or run in the complete other direction. Or maybe ask Midori or Kenji or someone to make the speech instead.</p><p>But then he saw his family in the front row. Well, his family and Kenny (Kenneth, whatever). His mom and dad were speaking quietly to each other, grinning and giggling. And there was his Nana next to his mom, dressed to the nines and looking extremely proud herself. To her right was Lilly and then Kenny, done up in a dress and suit, respectively. Not a face piercing to be seen between the two of them. They all looked so… Excited.</p><p>Seeing their faces made him feel suddenly lighter and by the time the announcer called Michael up to the stage, he didn’t feel any of the nerves that had been plaguing him that day. He had that swagger he felt the day before and spoke with ease and confidence. His joke about Pavlov landed and before he knew it, he was holding the CardioArm and being received with Oohs and Ahhs.</p><p>And then, to his complete surprise, Dr. Ward presented him with an honorary master’s degree! He could feel the heat rising to his face again as the crowd clapped for him, and his cheeks were beginning to ache from all the grinning when his family came up to the stage with him. He felt a bit embarrassed when Lilly made a show about Kenneth coming up to meet them, but the crowd was laughing, and Michael felt elated anyway.</p><p>And although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone if they asked, he <em>almost </em>teared up when his family engulfed him in a large hug on the stage in front of the hundreds of people watching.</p><p>And then, thank God because he was incredibly overwhelmed at that point, the ceremony was over, and they could move into the “cocktail” portion of the event. After spending a few minutes speaking to his family (although he hadn’t realized until she was gone that Lilly had run off), Michael was handed some champagne and his coworkers began proposing a toast. After the fifth toast and second bottle, everyone was feeling giddy and Michael was telling a story in Japanese, fully at ease now.</p><p>That is, until he heard Lilly yelling his name across the stage. It had taken a few times for him to hear her, but once he realized that she was calling for him, he turned and stopped his story midsentence.</p><p>It took a moment before the image before him had fully set in. Next to Lilly was another figure, taller, slender, and… Blonder. It was like his brain had stopped working and he was beginning to worry that he had been staring at her for ages. Their eyes met and he just couldn’t force himself to look away. </p><p>She just looked <em>so </em>good.</p><p>Michael had always found her pretty (and at times, extremely beautiful) and it was safe to say that she could drive him absolutely <em>wild </em>when they were dating. But that was almost nothing in comparison to how he felt in that moment. She was now an adult (well, technically her 18<sup>th</sup> birthday was in a few days) and she certainly looked it. She still looked like herself, but also somehow way better than he had remembered. She had grown up. And was looking… Embarrassed? Nervous? He could never read her face very well.</p><p>He forced himself to tear his gaze away and back to the group of people he had been speaking to, excusing himself. He couldn’t help it. He just had to speak to her before she disappeared again.</p><p>No, perhaps Michael was not really <em>completely</em> over Mia Thermopolis.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As he walked towards the girls, Michael couldn’t help the smile as he said “Mia.” He had never expected to see her here, and <em>especially</em> not with Lilly. He glanced down and noticed that they were holding hands, but they quickly let go of each other and Lilly took a small step to the side.</p><p>His first instinct was to hug her, but he was able to restrain himself before he reached out. That definitely didn’t seem appropriate, at least for their first time seeing each other in person since he watched her kiss <em>that guy</em> in the hallway.</p><p>“Um, hi,” was all she said (or more so, whispered) to him and the sound of her voice made his stomach lurch. The last time he had heard her voice was after he broke up with her on the phone. She smiled back at him, but it was timid and wasn’t even close to matching the brightness of his. He still couldn’t believe that she had come.</p><p>“Mia’s here representing the <em>Atom</em>. She’s doing a story on you, Michael. Aren’t you, Mia?” Lilly explained while giving the girl a pointed look as if she had read the confusion on his face. He initially felt some disappointment, but his eyes were still stuck on Mia and he noticed that she seemed a bit perplexed. No way, that was not why she had shown up.  </p><p>“How are you doing?” he asked, desperately hoping that she would meet his gaze again. If he could really look into her eyes, maybe then he’d be able to figure something out.</p><p>Unfortunately, Mia had seemed to go mute and Lilly ended up poking her quite roughly in the shoulder. When it was clear that the taller girl wasn’t going to be saying anything other than “Ow”, Michael laughed and asked, “Where’s Lars? You better watch out, Lil. She generally travels with an armed escort.”</p><p>He was almost smirking when he said it and felt triumphant when she actually opened her mouth and replied, “He’s around here somewhere.” She was now looking at him again and he could tell that she was also relieved to finally be speaking. This was not at all how he imagined their first reunion going. “And I’m fine, thanks for asking before. How are you doing, Michael?”</p><p>He was elated to hear her speaking in fully formed sentences again and even happier that she actually seemed to be sincerely asking him.</p><p>“I’m great,” he answered ever so intelligently. He wanted to say something more, but before he could, his mother came over to tell him about some guy with <em>The New York Times</em>. Who had time to speak to reporters at a time like this?</p><p>Oh, right, he was at <em>his </em>own event. He was supposed to be networking and doing interviews, like the one his mother had come over to remind him of.</p><p>His mother stopped as soon as she saw who Michael had been speaking to and he saw her eyes widen. “Oh, <em>Mia</em>.” Glancing over at Mia, she looked… Terrified? <em>I guess it must be awkward to run into your ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend’s parent. </em>But Michael knew that their parents didn’t harbor any ill-will towards her. She had basically grown up like a second daughter to them, and they were more sad than anything when Mia had stopped coming around.</p><p>Mia squeaked out a quick hello, but his mom just smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She seemed genuinely happy that Mia had come.</p><p>He almost laughed when Mia started explaining her reason for coming to the event- the article for the school paper- but then he felt his heart sink when she looked at him and forcefully said, “Michael, go talk to the <em>Times-</em>“</p><p>He quickly interrupted her, “No. That’s okay. There’s plenty of time for that.” <em>Times </em>be damned; he wanted to keep talking to his extremely good-looking ex-girlfriend.</p><p>Unfortunately for him, Mia was insisting, and he would have looked like an idiot if he kept trying to keep the conversation going. Luckily for him, his sister intervened.</p><p>Lilly suggested that the two of them get together for coffee the next day. And okay, it was supposedly for a “private interview” and not a “hey maybe we should talk about getting back together” coffee date, but it still seemed like a great idea to Michael.</p><p>Without even bothering to hide his eagerness, he agreed, “Hey, that’s a good idea. What do you say, Mia? Are you around tomorrow? Want to meet a Caffe Dante, say, around one?” He was a bit annoyed with himself for how excited he sounded, but he knew that Mia hadn’t come to his event just for some silly article. Whether or not she was willing to admit it, Mia still cared for him and wanted to see him.</p><p>He suppressed the large grin that was teasing his face when she nodded and answered, “Yes, one tomorrow is fine. Okay, great, see you then.” She looked a bit flustered as she spoke, and it filled him with some satisfaction to know that he could still make her nervous.</p><p>Michael felt good enough to tear himself away with the guarantee of seeing her tomorrow, and left to go give that interview. But as he was walking away, he suddenly remembered something.</p><p>“Oh, and bring that senior project of yours. I still can’t wait to read it!”</p><p>The last thing Michael heard from that side of the stage was Lilly asking if Mia was all right. And he let out a bit of a smirk imagining her face.</p><p>Yeah, no. Michael was <em>definitely </em>not over Mia Thermopolis. In fact, he now had every intention of winning her back.</p><hr/><p>The rest of the event went completely as expected. Michael did about a dozen interviews and posed for an infinite number of photos with his colleagues and his robotic arm. His face was sore after smiling so much, but his grin was completely genuine. Not only was his project a major success and he had been named one of New York City’s youngest technology trailblazers, but he also had a strong suspicion that his ex-girlfriend did not feel indifferent to him. He didn’t run into her again, but that didn’t bother him one bit. He knew that he would get his chance tomorrow.</p><p>He went out for a celebratory dinner with his family and colleagues, which he happily paid for himself (hey, being a self-made multimillionaire had its perks). He noticed Lilly and Kenneth speaking to each other in low voices as stories and toasts were being tossed about, but it was their own business. He could tell, however, that whatever they were discussing they didn’t exactly agree on. However, when Lilly glanced at him, she smiled and lifted her glass.</p><p>Michael was buzzing by the time he got home, the happiest he had felt in… Years. Maybe ever. Everything just seemed to be going so <em>well </em>for him.</p><p>
  <em>Surreal.</em>
</p><p>He was brushing his teeth when Lilly came into the bathroom. She had now changed into pajamas and it was remarkable how young she looked when she wasn’t covered in piercings and eyeliner.</p><p>For a few moments, she didn’t say anything as she put some toothpaste on her own brush. It was only when Michael was rinsing that she asked in a quiet voice, “Are you really going tomorrow?”</p><p>He spit and turned to her with a confused expression, but she was looking down at her brush. “I mean, yeah…? Why? Should I not be going?” Lilly didn’t reply and continued to stare down at her toothbrush. “You know that it was your idea, right?”</p><p>Finally, she looked at him through the mirror. “Yeah, I know. I’m glad you’re going. I guess.” She looked conflicted as she spoke, and Michael was starting to get annoyed. She was ruining the high he had been feeling.</p><p>He didn’t say anything but just continued to look at her through the mirror. She was going to need to spit out whatever it was she wanted to tell him.</p><p>After a few moments of staring at each other, Lilly sighed and put down her brush. She turned to look at him and spoke slowly, looking kind of… Sheepish?</p><p>“I never told you the whole story about what happened between me and her after you left. I mean, I told you that I was mad about how she handled things with you, and J.P., who by the way, she’s still dating.” Michael had thought as much, but it still sucked to hear. He tried not to let anything show on his face though because Lilly was watching his reaction carefully.</p><p>“Anyway, what I left out is that… Ugh, I’m embarrassed to admit this. But I was just <em>so </em>angry with her. I mean she broke your heart- nuh, uh, don’t try to deny it. You were a <em>wreck</em>, Michael. And then she started dating <em>my </em>ex-boyfriend who had dumped me like a week before. And then she started hanging out with <em>Lana Weinberger </em>of all people and it was as if I had never existed. So, I ended up…” She trailed off before finishing, but Michael just kept staring down at her, frowning. She really needed to get to the point.</p><p>Lilly took a deep breath and with the smallest voice he had ever heard her use, admitted, “I ended up making a hate page about her. And then I yelled at her in front of the whole school about it.”</p><p>All he could do was blink at her, mouth slightly hanging agape. It took him a few long seconds to process what he had just heard, and he considered just what he wanted to say. Honestly? It sounded pretty awful. Sure, he could admit that Mia hadn’t handled their breakup especially well and there was a time when he was pretty angry with her about it. But he never would have felt that she deserved a hate site about her, especially one written by her childhood best friend. The thought made him cringe. He considered telling Lilly off, but the notion was gone as soon as he saw her expression.</p><p>It was an expression that was so rare to come from Lilly, her eyes darting around and her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip. He could tell that she really felt remorseful and ashamed about it. “Lil…” She grimaced as she looked up at him, waiting for him to do his worst. “That really wasn’t cool of you. You should apologize, or at least start being nicer to her.” He spoke with the calmest voice he could muster, but it didn’t seem to really help.</p><p>Lilly’s expression quickly turned sour. “I am <em>not </em>apologizing as long as she’s still going out with that jerk.” But Michael’s eyebrows raised, and she rolled her eyes. “But yeah, I’ll try being nicer to her. Such as how I practically dragged her onto the stage to talk to you today.”</p><p>His heart fell a bit when he heard the word “dragged”, but Lilly seemed to catch it and backed her statement up with, “I could tell she wanted to see you. She was just hiding in the bathroom scribbling in her journal or whatever. I think she was just kind of scared to see you.”</p><p>He snorted slightly. “Why would she be scared to see <em>me</em>?”</p><p>She shrugged but gave a knowing look at him. “Who <em>really </em>knows. Anyway, Mr. Bigshot, go get your beauty sleep so you can look nice for Princess Charming tomorrow.” Michael gave her a small cheeky grin and squeezed her shoulder before saying goodnight and heading towards his room.</p><p>Just as he was about to get into bed, he glanced at the laptop on his desk. Before tomorrow, he just needed to know one thing…</p><p>His last message to her was in March. He had asked to see her senior project for the umpteenth time (she kept giving weird excuses for not sending it) and then she just never replied. He had already suspected that there was something about her project that she was withholding, but this confirmed it. He would definitely make sure that she gave it to him tomorrow. He shut the laptop and crawled into bed.</p><p>He looked up at stars on his ceiling yet again. He was going to need to get some new ones for his loft.</p><p>He wasn’t sure what would come of his meeting with Mia the next day. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. Although he hoped that Mia felt the same way he had when they locked eyes earlier that day, there was no way to be certain. Lilly was right, she was still with <em>that guy</em>, but who knows? Maybe that’ll have changed by tomorrow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Caffe Dante</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Michael woke up mid-morning, a significant improvement from the two days prior. As he woke up, it took him some time to realize that his life was actually real and that everything, and he meant <em>everything </em>that had happened the day before had actually happened. He really did give interviews with every major New York publication. He really had been given an honorary master’s degree. He really had made plans to meet his former love for coffee that afternoon.</p><p>Stretching, Michael grinned to himself. Life was pretty sweet. He sprang out a bed and spent about half an hour doing some exercise on the floor because, hey, his newfound muscles hadn’t built themselves. He then took a quick shower and brushed out his hair. It wasn’t anywhere near as neat and styled as it had been the day prior, but his new haircut looked good.</p><p>He riffled through the suitcase he still hadn’t cleaned out and considered a few options for what to wear. What did one wear to meet one’s ex-girlfriend? And for, technically, an interview? A button-up seemed too formal, but a T-shirt seemed too casual.</p><p>He ended up going with a black Polo shirt (his newfound muscles were quite visible in the short sleeves), a simple pair of jeans, and his favorite pair of red Converses. He hoped they would give him the extra confidence he needed. He looked very ‘tech-chic’ and decided it was good enough.</p><p>After a final glance in the mirror, he headed into the kitchen and helped himself to some cereal, scarfing it down.  </p><p>“You look nice,” his dad commented, looking up from his laptop. “Do you have more meetings today?”</p><p>Lilly snorted, “you could say that.” After their dad looked over to her in confusion, she supplemented, “he’s meeting <em>Mia</em>.”</p><p>“Oh,” was all their dad said, looking over at Michael, who was now staring directly into his bowl. At that moment, the other Dr. Moscotivz and Nana walked in through the front door carrying some groceries.</p><p>“Good Morning,” their mom said, giving both of her children pecks on the head. “You’re looking quite handsome today, Michael.”</p><p>“He’s meeting Mia,” his father said without being asked. Michael could now feel his face burning up.</p><p>This time, Nana spoke, “Isn’t she the tall, bony one-“</p><p>“That’s a princess of a small European country, yeah,” Lilly continued. Michael shot her a glare before returning to his cereal.</p><p>There was an excruciating moment of silence before his mom said, “Well I think that’s just lovely. It was nice of her to come yesterday.” She smiled and gave Michael another kiss (this time on the cheek) before beginning to unload the groceries.</p><p>“Oh! Speaking of Mia, your invitation arrived this morning.” Michael gave her a blank look before she continued, “for her birthday party. Ours arrived last night and we’re all going to go after we drop Nana off at the airport.”</p><p>Michael turned to Lilly with a questioning look, “you’re <em>all </em>going?”</p><p>She rolled her eyes, “Yeah.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Kenneth’s going too.”</p><p>He studied her for a moment, but Lilly just shrugged. <em>I guess she’s finally letting it all go. </em></p><p>Michael turned back to his mom, who gave him a pointed look. Without needing to hear her question, he lifted his hands towards his shoulders, “I don’t know. I guess I’ll see how today goes and then decide.” There was more silence as Michael’s entire family eyed him, but he dropped his gaze back to his cereal. God, why did they all have to be so nosy?</p><p>Luckily, Michael’s dad began talking about the articles he had read about the event yesterday. “You and the CardioArm were a huge hit. You’re the talk of the town today!”</p><p>“Please, Dad, the only people who really care are in the tech or medical community.”</p><p>His father shook his head, “You’d be surprised with how many people care when someone from their own neighborhood makes something as impressive as your arm.”</p><p>Michael simply shrugged modestly in response and his dad went on to read out a few article titles. He wasn’t sure if he was ever going to get used to this kind of praise.</p><p>When he finished his cereal, Michael was more than happy to make a quick getaway. He had decided to take the subway to the café, because even though he could now afford taxis (or drivers) whenever he wanted, it just didn’t feel like New York City to him unless he was underground, holding a dirty pole in 90-degree heat.</p><p>He got to the café about 15 minutes early and considered whether he should go around the block and try to look fashionably late. Technically, he was all important now so it would make sense for him to be late. But, whatever, he really just wanted to see her as soon as possible. Who cares about looking cool?</p><p>He stood around, glancing at the newspaper stand as he waited. He wasn’t front-page news, obvious, but he could make out his company’s name on the side of 1 or 2 papers and that blew his mind. It was about 5 minutes till one when he glanced up and noticed Lars towering over everyone else around them. He then saw Mia, who also stood out from the crowd in more ways than one.</p><p>Michael watched her for a moment, and it gave him a strange joy to see her erratically writing in a journal. Almost as if feeling his gaze on her, Mia looked up suddenly and her eyes widened. Comically, she faced back down to write one more thing in her journal. He suppressed a smirk as he waved and started walking towards the pair.</p><p>“Hey, guys,” Michael grinned as he approached. “Nice to see you, man,” he said to Lars as they shook hands. He was always really fond of Lars, who was probably the first person to take notice of Michael’s feelings for Mia. Other than the fact that the bodyguard was the main reason the couple rarely got to be alone, Michael always felt like Lars backed him up.</p><p>“Same goes for you. Congratulations on your project,” Lars answered, giving him a large smile back.  </p><p>Michael then turned his attention towards Mia, who was looking extremely nervous. She was fidgeting when he said, “Thanks for agreeing to meet here… You look nice.” And she did. She wasn’t nearly as done up as she had been the day before, but he was now able to really take in her image. The shock had worn off, and Michael could suddenly explain why she had looked so grown up when he saw her yesterday. She had a fuller figure and longer hair, an almost drastic difference from the incredibly lean Mia with hair shorter than his when he left. But the smile, and the eyes, were just the same.</p><p>She tried to hide it with her hair, but Michael could tell that she was blushing. “Thanks. And thanks for agreeing to do an interview. It’s probably going to be the headline story for the <em>Atom</em>.”</p><p>He almost laughed, “Yeah, right. The interview.” He suddenly couldn’t get his mouth to work because he kept peeking down at hers.</p><p>His intense gaze was starting to make her nervous again so Mia quickly suggested, “Yeah, let’s go grab some drinks, and then we can start. I wrote up a bunch of questions last night.” She laughed slightly as the two of them headed to the line. Lars went over to sit at the bar, stealthily watching the pair with interest.</p><p>The two of them stood in silence as they waited in line. Michael couldn’t help but just keep staring at the girl. He knew it was kind of wrong and that she probably still had a boyfriend, but he just couldn’t <em>help </em>it. She really did look good.</p><p>“You do look really good,” he blurted out. But at the same moment, Mia asked, “So how was the rest of your night?”</p><p>Michael cleared his throat and quickly said, “Uh, you go.”</p><p>Mia let out a polite smile, pretending like she hadn’t heard what he said. “I asked how the rest of your night went. I’m imagining tons of interviews.”</p><p>He chuckled, “Yeah, that was definitely a big part. We stayed around and did interviews and photo ops and all that for a few more hours, and then we all went out to dinner. I can honestly say I’ve never seen Nana drink that much champagne in my life.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m sure it was a <em>wild </em>night then,” she giggled, and Michael wasn’t ashamed to admit that the sound made his heart do a flip.</p><p>He nodded, grinning, “How’s Fat Louie?”</p><p>Mia beamed at him, but then her vision seemed to go out of focus. Damn, she really did love that cat more than anyone. “Great. Just as fat and cuddly as the last time you saw him.” Getting out of her daydream, she looked back at him. “And Pavlov? I’m assuming good based on your speech yesterday.”</p><p>“Fit as a whistle. I missed him so much while I was in Japan, and I think it’s fair to say that the sentiment is reciprocated.” Mia smiled and gave him a knowing nod, wondering if she could ever leave Fat Louie for such a long time.</p><p>They had now reached the front of the line and he made a show to extend his arm and bow slightly, “Ladies first.” She snorted a bit but accepted the offer and went ahead to order. She ordered a hot chocolate for herself and a black coffee for Lars. Michael considered offering to pay, but he felt like that may be pushing it. However, Mia then turned to him and asked, “What do you want?”</p><p>He gave her an uncertain look, but she gave him one back that said ‘don’t argue with me’. He still wasn’t sure, but the barista was looking impatient, so he conceded. “Oh, uhm, I’ll get a hot chocolate too.” Mia squinted a bit at him, amused, but shrugged and paid for it without another word.</p><p>“What was that for? You know I can afford my own drinks now,” Michael asked sarcastically once they were out of the line.  </p><p>Mia rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve read the articles.” <em>Oh, have you? </em>“But this is an interview, right? And usually, the interviewer pays for the interviewee’s drink.”</p><p>Michael laughed, “Yeah, okay, Thermopolis, whatever you say.” He smirked at her, “And you know, you’re almost a legal adult who’s <em>still </em>ordering hot chocolate.”</p><p>“Hey, I drink coffee sometimes! I just don’t need any today. And, whatever, you do realize that you also ordered a hot chocolate?”</p><p>“Well, I only ordered it because it sounded so good coming from you.” And he was not-so-subtlety flirting with her again. But of course, this was Mia, and she was prone to being oblivious to this sort of thing, so he wasn’t sure if she was picking up on it or not. Either way, he did notice some rosiness to her cheeks as they went to grab their drinks. Mia took Lars’ coffee and Michael took both of the hot chocolates.</p><p>“I’ll go get that table by the window,” he said as she nodded and headed in the other direction. </p><p>Michael sat down and watched as she spoke to Lars for a few seconds. He could tell that the bodyguard was smirking at her, but he couldn’t see her face, so her reaction was unknown. Just as he had watched for too long, Lars spotted him and winked. Michael quickly turned to look outside as Mia was turning back towards him.</p><p>Once she sat down, she gave him a shy smile, which he eagerly returned. Neither of them spoke for a moment, really taking each other in for the first time in almost two years. The last time they had been alone like this… Was their enormous fight. The one where she threw his necklace to the ground and ran off.</p><p>After what felt like an eternity, Mia cleared her throat. “Uhm, is it alright if I record this?” Michael looked at her in confusion as she brought her phone out of her bag and motioned to it. “For the <em>Atom</em>.”</p><p>He laughed, “Oh. Right. Yeah, of course, you can.”</p><p>She let out a relieved sigh and pressed the button to record. She asked if again if she could record the conversation and he laughed again, amused by her attempt to be so serious.</p><p>The beginning of the interview felt so foreign to him that he couldn’t help but comment on it. He was never the one important enough to be interviewed, <em>she </em>was, but her look of agitation was evident when he pointed this out.</p><p>Even when he seriously answered her questions, he couldn’t help but steer the conversation back to her. Before he even knew what he was doing, Michael said outright that she was partially his inspiration for the CardioArm. She looked absolutely clueless when he looked her right in the eyes and said, “And, of course, you.” The expression she held while he was explaining it to her made his heart leap. It almost felt like how she used to look at him when they were dating. He didn’t even care if that would be in the interview or not, he just wanted her to know it.</p><p>And that’s when he dropped the bomb, as in, the <em>J.P. </em>bomb. Prior to that moment, neither of them had ever referenced the fact that Mia had a boyfriend. Michael honestly didn’t know why he had said it, but it just came bursting out of him. She looked like a deer in headlights and began stammering as soon as he uttered the word “boyfriend”. It was both satisfying and upsetting to see her like this, mostly because he wasn’t sure what about it had made her feel so nervous.</p><p>He then asked whether J.P. knew that she was meeting with him. Her high-pitched “Of course!” immediately gave him the answer, which was a firm ‘No’. Flustered, she instantly turned the conversation to Japan. He gave her a very concise, “Great! Japan’s great. Highly recommend it.” Michael wasn’t sure why, but he really didn’t want to talk about Japan or the project or himself anymore. He wanted to turn the spotlight back on her. That was the only way he was going to be able to answer his own questions.</p><p>Mia then accidentally made a comment about her grandmother waking her up early that morning, which Michael used as an excuse to turn the conversation back on her. He brought up her birthday party and was a little disheartened to see her reaction to it; She obviously had not been the one to send him and his family invitations. But then he remembered what Lilly had told him the night before about the hate site and let any hurt go. He gave her a soft smile and praised her for inviting his sister.</p><p>Again, she quickly diverted the conversation right back to him. This was starting to feel like an annoying game of tennis. Okay, okay, he was technically doing an ‘interview’, but really? He had only agreed to it so that he could spend some time with her again.</p><p>That’s why he didn’t even care when she asked what he missed most about America and he answered a very cheeky “Uh… you?” He knew he was flirting a bit too hard at this point, and that it was kind of inappropriate considering he had earlier made it clear that he knew about her boyfriend. But honestly? He couldn’t have cared less.</p><p>Mia went bright red when he gave her a smug, sideways grin, but tried to play it off like a joke. At that point, she looked like she was starting to panic so he gave her a quick apology and said Pavlov instead (which truthfully, was a very close second).</p><p>He studied her reaction as he told her that he was moving back to Manhattan and wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not when she looked a bit flustered. Was she it because she was pleasantly surprised, or was it the opposite?</p><p>At that point, h couldn’t take it anymore. He needed the conversation to turn back to her, to finally put her on the spot. And he needed to know why she had randomly stopped responding to him those months ago.</p><p>“When am I going to get to read your senior project?” She grimaced as he said it and he watched her with interest. Bashfully, she explained that the project was not, in fact, on the history of Genovian olive oil presses, circa 1254-1650. She then explained that it was, in fact, a medieval historical romance novel.</p><p>Mia looked absolutely mortified as she told him and was staring directly into her hot chocolate, refusing to meet his eye. Without any hesitation, Michael responded with, “Sweet. Hand it over.” Who cares if he didn’t generally- or ever- read romance novels? She had written it, and he knew that he was going to love anything she wrote.</p><p>Her head whipped up so fast that Michael was worried she was going to knock over her drink. He just smiled at her, not quite understanding why she looked so surprised. A novel made way more sense for her than a history book. And it didn’t matter what kind of book she had written; the fact that she had written anything that was 400 pages long was a huge accomplishment. He was honestly a little shocked that she didn’t seem to see it that way.</p><p><br/>“Seriously. Michael- you’re just being nice. You don’t have to read it.”</p><p>He looked at her incredulously, why would he ever <em>have </em>to read it? Technically speaking, he was her ex-boyfriend. If he didn’t want to read it, there would be no way he would ever have to. He wasn’t her boyfriend anymore; he didn’t have to pretend anything. So, naturally, he accused her of being high.</p><p>After that comment, she finally agreed to email him a copy and he swore to not start reading until she left. That thought pained him a bit, that the interview would be coming to an end soon. He didn’t know the next time he would get a chance to speak to her alone.</p><p>He immediately opened his phone to check the email after she sent it. Without quite meaning to, he skimmed over the cover and jokingly questioned out loud who Daphne Delacroix was. He didn’t really need to ask, because she had obviously just decided to use a fake name (maybe because she didn’t want her already famous name attached?).</p><p>He glanced up from his phone, grinning, but Mia looked beet-red. He couldn’t help but comment about the similarity in color of her face with his sneakers, suppressing a laugh. She was now glaring at him, in the incredibly cute way she used to do when she would get annoyed with him. Damn, he missed seeing that pout.</p><p>But then she threatened to delete the email and reached over for his phone while he was protesting. He pulled it back out of her reach, mockingly wiggling it at her. She reached farther over the table trying to grab it as he laughed wildly. They were now full-on play wrestling in the middle of the café. Michael could feel his skin tingle from where her fingers grazed him. He could also feel the lukewarm hot chocolate that had fallen over into his lap, but he couldn’t have cared less about it at that moment.  </p><p>He called for Lars jokingly, but the bodyguard was already in tow, along with a waiter. They both took their hands back like schoolchildren getting into trouble with the teacher and Michael secured the phone back into his pocket. Taking a quick glance at Mia, he could almost imagine what it would feel like if she tried to reach for his phone again…</p><p>Lars apologized on their behalf and Michael could feel his cheeks getting a bit warm. Mia looked absolutely flushed and apologetic as she looked between the waiter and Michael’s clothes.</p><p>After offering to pay for his dry cleaning- seriously, <em>why</em>? - Michael noticed her phone on the table and realized, with a laugh, that she was still recording. He immediately called her out on it, and she yelped, grabbing the phone and ending the recording. He almost could have kicked himself because he realized that that probably meant the interview, and their reunion was over.</p><p>Michael tried to think of an excuse to keep their meeting going, but he also knew that it was nearing an hour and a half now and that he really had no reason. He felt his chest squeeze a bit when she stood up after taking a few seconds to calm herself and pat down the table with a few napkins. She still looked redder than a cherry, but she had turned on her princess persona. It almost amazed him how easily she transitioned.</p><p>He stood up along with her, straightening his back out to reach his full height. He tried to give her a smile that oozed confidence but was a bit taken aback when she stuck her hand out to him. <em>Is she seriously trying to shake my hand? I used to stick my tongue down her throat.</em></p><p>Staring down at her hand, he let out a soft laugh. “I think we can do a little better than that, can’t we?” Ignoring the slight surprise in her face, he held his arms out to her. She gave a nervous laugh but agreed. And as soon as his arms reached the small of her back, it was like no time had passed for Michael. She fit into him perfectly- just as she had years before. He could smell the familiar scent of her hair and the way her breath tickled the side of his neck.</p><p>Their hug lasted a few beats longer than it should have for friendly exes, but Michael noticed that Mia didn’t seem to be pulling away. He could almost feel her reciprocated reluctance as they moved away from each other and when he looked back down at her, he had the momentary urge to kiss her. He glanced at her lips, and then at her eyes, but she was looking at him squarely in the forehand as if deliberately avoiding eye contact. She then began rifling with her bag and the impulse passed. He realized that they were standing in a café surrounded by dozens of people. This was not the moment.</p><p>But when she finally looked up and he could clearly see her beautiful grey eyes again, he was certain that the moment would come. He just needed to figure out how and when. Sure, there were some obstacles in the way. But Michael’s time in Japan had just proven to him that there wasn’t any problem that he couldn’t handle.</p><p>As soon as they parted ways and Michael hailed a cab, he opened his email and began reading.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Novel and a Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Michael used all of his free time that Sunday afternoon to read Mia’s book. He read it in the cab on the way to his new loft, which he was happy to say he was now the legal owner of. He read it as he made his way down the street to his new office space. He read it while he 3D-printed a Princess Leia action figure USB flash drive (an idea for her birthday gift he had come up with on his way home from the ceremony). He read it as he ate dinner, and between answering emails. He even read it on the commode.</p><p>He was honestly really impressed with the book. It was well-written and still sounded like Mia, even though it was in old-timey English. It was also quite <em>hot, </em>and Michael kept getting odd twinges course through his body as he read. A few times, he accidentally let himself wonder if what she wrote was from experience… And even though he knew he had no right, the thought of that skill kind of pissed him off.</p><p>A few times, he also ended up envisioning him and Mia in some of the more… Saucy scenes. But every time one of those thoughts crossed his mind, he shut them down immediately (as much as he could).</p><p>Even then, he couldn’t help but put himself into the story. It centered around a dashing knight who came back home after a long time away, and a woman with a strong desire to care for her people. Although he definitely knew that Mia would not have purposely written a love story about him, there was a part of him that thought, or rather hoped, that he had subconsciously been her inspiration. It certainly seemed like the main characters were going to get back together in the end, and he couldn’t help but read into it. Although, of course, there was no mention of a handsome prince the woman was already betrothed to.   </p><p>He stayed up finishing her book and read the last line just a bit past midnight. He couldn’t help his smile; he felt a surge of pride for her as he looked at the cover again. It wasn’t just good because it was from her, it was <em>just good</em>. No, he probably wouldn’t be picking up a romance novel subscription anytime soon, but he would definitely be reading anything Mia Thermopolis wrote.</p><p>He sat down at his desk sleepily and took out a formal envelope with the letterhead for Pavlov Surgical, feeling like it was a nice touch. Carefully, he took out a pen and considered what to write. He needed it to come across as sincere, but still let his praise shine through.</p><p>He ended up relating her to the Stephen King of romance novels and being honest in that her book was <em>hot</em>. It wasn’t a particularly long note, but it was the truth mixed in with flattery. He also explained the UBS with a reminder to back up her hard drive. And at the last moment, he decided to commit himself to attending her party. He pretty much knew he was going to go after seeing her in the café, but he hadn’t actually confirmed it with her.</p><p>And then, there was the closing. He knew what he wanted to say, but was that too much too soon? All of their emails over the years had ended with extremely neutral partings, so was this the right time?</p><p>He glanced at the clock on his wall; it had already taken him an embarrassingly long time to write such a short letter. Before he could overthink it, he wrote down “Love, Michael” and sealed the envelope with the letter and USB inside. Whatever, he did love her. Who knew exactly how he loved her (he had an idea), but he definitely knew that he at least had love <em>for her</em>. </p><p>He flickered off the lights and it occurred to him that it was now officially May 1<sup>st</sup>, Mia’s birthday. He wondered if she was awake, staring into the darkness just as he was, or perhaps staying up to scrounge up whatever she could from their somewhat disastrous interview. Either way, he wondered if she was thinking about him, just as he was her.</p><p>He considered sending her a quick text wishing her a happy birthday but didn’t allow himself to even reach for the phone. He wanted her to read the letter first, and he also wanted to avoid the risk of looking too desperate, messaging her in the middle of the night. Instead, he lulled himself to sleep with one of the exceptionally impressive illustrative scenes from Mia’s book.</p><p>Before leaving for the office, Michael handed Lilly the bulky envelope.</p><p>“What’s this?” she asked, mouth full of some toast as she gingerly took the letter from him.</p><p>“It’s for Mia. Can you give it to her sometime today?”</p><p>“Why don’t you just give it to her tonight?”</p><p>He rolled his eyes before grabbing a banana, “Can you please just do it?” Truth be told, he knew it made more sense to just give it to her in person. But he wanted her to know how much he liked her book as soon as possible. And he also liked the idea of Mia having a reason to think about him that day.</p><p>She mumbled a quick ‘whatever’ and went back to her breakfast. He was about to head to the door but paused for a moment. “Hey, Lil?” She turned to look at him, “Remember to be nice to her. She’s made some mistakes, but so have you, some really crappy ones.”</p><p>Lilly looked like she was going to argue, but instead just nodded slightly and mumbled, “Already working on it.”</p><p>He gave her a small smile and headed out the door.</p><hr/><p>Michael had a long list of things to do that day before he could even worry about Mia’s party (although prior to coming into the office, he had already scheduled a limo and dropped off his tux to get pressed). He still had more meetings than desirable, and they were still working on getting the lab set up. His own office was filled with unopened boxes that needed sorting through. He was probably going to have to hire an organizational team at this rate- but he could only do that after he finally got a new full-time assistant (unfortunately for him, his former one had chosen to stay in Japan). <em>And</em> he had to call back the business manager he had chosen from the interviews the week prior.  </p><p>His task list just seemed to grow longer as the day went on. It also didn’t help that although he was trying not to think about it, he felt nervous about the party. He was pulling out all the stops because he wanted to impress Mia, to finally get her to see who he was now. Even though he knew he had nothing to prove, especially not to Mia herself, he still wanted to show Mia’s family, particularly her <em>grandmother</em> (bleh), and everyone else who had doubted his worth, what he had made of himself.</p><p>And there was a part of him that was hoping that she had broken up with her boyfriend after their meeting in the café. His mind kept wandering to the hug that seemed to go on for ages, and the familiar feeling of her breath on his neck (she had never told him, but he knew there was something about his neck that just did it for her), and how her two main characters did end up getting together at the end. He hoped that it had all meant just as much to her as it had for him.</p><p>He went through the motions of the day, trying to keep her grey eyes and tempting lips out of his thoughts. Just a few more hours, and then he could go get ready at his new loft.</p><p>It was about just a bit after six when he pulled up to his parents’ building, almost feeling ridiculous in the long, black limo. It reminded him so much of the mornings when he would wait to see Mia’s limo come around the corner to pick him and Lilly up for school. He wondered if that’s what Lilly would think when she came out.</p><p>People kept looking at the car as they passed, as if waiting to see some celebrity emerge. It made him wonder how embarrassed Mia felt riding around in limos constantly. Michael stayed seated and texted his family group chat that he was outside waiting.</p><p>He waited for them for about five minutes, and during that time, Michael couldn’t stop squirming in his seat. He was pretty much used to suits now, but he still never enjoyed wearing tuxes. The only times he had really worn them were for Bar Mitzvahs and the occasional school dance, which he had only forced himself to attend when he was courting (<em>what a word</em>, guess Mia’s book had some sort of influence on him) Mia. At this moment, his bowtie felt too tight and he kept pulling on it.</p><p>His family finally came down and he forced his leg to stop shaking. His parents looked like a million bucks, his dad also in a tuxedo and his mom in a long red dress. She looked like she had spent hours on her hair alone. Michael also noted the loving look his father gave to his mother and how he whispered something in her ear as he held the door open for her. It was nice to see both so happy together.</p><p>As they slid in, Michael caught sight of Lilly and Kenny (er, Kenneth). She also looked very pretty and wasn’t wearing anything remotely close to her general grunge. She was also holding a camcorder bag that matched her dress. Why she had a camera, Michael had no idea. But just as he was about to ask her, she snorted,</p><p>“Trying to lay-low, Michael?”</p><p>He could feel his cheeks get a bit hot, but it was too dark for anyone to notice. “Ha-ha. I just wanted to make the night a bit more special. It’s not every day we go to parties on royal yachts.”</p><p>Lilly didn’t answer, but he could tell that she was eyeing him. His parents, however, cheered in agreement and each grabbed a glass of champagne. Michael grabbed one as well, mostly just to have something to keep him from fidgeting under the watchful eye of his sister. That confidence he had held the day of the ceremony was now fully depleted.</p><p>They got to the yacht right around 7pm, and Michael ended up being last out of the limo. This was good, because it gave him a few moments to collect himself before stepping out. He could see the paparazzi lining the entranceway and honestly wasn’t sure what to expect.</p><p>Somewhat unsurprisingly (although he was always still somehow shocked whenever he got recognized), there were a few photographers that called out to him. He could hear “ex-boyfriend”, “tech genius”, and “millionaire” being thrown around, which made him both self-conscious and smug at the same time. He didn’t pose for any photos alone or stop to speak to anyone but smiled politely when he joined his family for a photo. Luckily for him, Mia’s grandmother arrived with the captain almost immediately after him, which quickly made him invisible to the flashing cameras.</p><p>As he moved further inside the yacht, he almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Not only was the ship grand in itself, but it seemed like all of Hollywood’s elite was attending this party. Not only them, but Michael kept recognizing his old teachers everywhere he looked. It was kind of funny, seeing Brad Pitt with a hoard of children about 5 feet from his 10<sup>th</sup> grade trig teacher. It was nice to know that Mia had gone out of her way to invite the AES faculty.</p><p>He was still following his parents (Lilly and Kenneth had disappeared into the crowd almost instantly) when they randomly stopped. Michael had been so distracted by Nicolas Cage eating a cocktail weenie that he ran straight into his dad’s back, muttering an apology. It took him a second to realize why his parents had stopped and that he was face-to-face with Helen Thermopolis.</p><p>She looked the same <em>(obviously,</em> it had only been two years), but was looking at him with an expression he had never seen before. He realized that it was a one of pleasant surprise, similarly to how his mom had reacted to seeing Mia at the ceremony.  </p><p>“You look very handsome, Michael,” she smiled at him, nodding at his tux in approval. God, it felt good that she always seemed to be on his side. He gave a somewhat bashful smile and said thanks as she gave him a quick hug. Mr. G, who had been watching the exchange, grinned when Michael turned to him, giving his hand a friendly shake.</p><p>“You both look great as well,” he said politely and looked around them. “I’m guessing Rocky couldn’t make it?”</p><p>They both laughed and shared a knowing look. Mr. G replied, “Well, you know, as much as he likes his whiskey sours, we felt it might be better if he stayed home.” The entire group shared a chuckle and then his parents began speaking, which allowed Michael to excuse himself.</p><p>He began wandering around the deck, not really wanted to get stuck speaking to anyone just yet. He kept glancing up at the staircase that towered them, clearly where Mia would be making her entrance. It seemed to be a tad delayed because guests were starting to get antsy, but then everyone was then informed that the boat would be staying docked in order to accommodate all of the guests.</p><p><em>Better for me</em>, Michael thought, because then he would be able to make a quick exit if necessary after he talked to her. Without meaning to, he had been thinking about it all day and resolved that tonight would be the perfect occasion to tell her what he wanted to tell her. He wasn’t sure what that was exactly, but he was certain it would come to him the moment he looked into her eyes.</p><p>Finally, the idle chatter had stopped, and Madonna began singing. Everyone’s attention was brought to the top of the staircase. After a few moments of waiting, time for Michael seemed to cease because he was looking at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. </p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. An Engagement (?)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Okay, it was the same girl Michael had seen thousands of times before. But this was the first time he had seen her fully <em>princess</em>-upped as a grown woman (Girl? Whatever). See her in her striking tiara and equally striking ballgown, his mind flashed back to their first date, the first time he had seen in her princess wear. She looked like a beautiful snowdrop at the time, tonight… She looked different but also the same. He could feel his chest tighten in a way that it hadn’t in many years. He only wished that she was close enough for him to really see her face.</p><p>After her grand entrance, Prince Philippe himself surprised her, and Michael could tell she was trying not to cry based on the way she kept wringing her hands. He made a speech and presented her with another tiara (although this one had some significance for Mia) and she full-on started bawling. They ended up switching her tiaras, and somehow the new one just seemed <em>right </em>for her. She already looked beautiful, but her new tiara made her shine in a way she hadn’t before.</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Lilly was near the front of the crowd, filming the whole ordeal. The idea worried him a bit about where that footage was going to go. Was it to dissect (and criticize) the lucrative spending of royalty, or the immense financial value of Mia’s headpiece? He had asked her about the camera on the ride over, but Lilly just said not to worry and that she was keeping her promise to be nice. Although Michael was still a bit concerned as to what Lilly considered to be nice.</p><p>After the speech, he lost sight of the birthday girl and made his way around (a bit reluctantly) socializing with other guests. He ran into a small group of his old teachers, who asked him about the CardioArm and how Japan was. Michael forced out a smile as he answered the same questions he had heard dozens of times over the last few weeks. He then moved away and ran into Bill Gates, who luckily for Michael, was not aware of the anti-Microsoft stint he had been on a few years ago. They chatted for a few minutes because Mr. Gates had recognized him from the <em>Times </em>article. Michael refrained from mentioning that all of the computers in his new office were Apple.</p><p>The first person Michael was really happy to run into was Boris, who had been watching the dance floor. Michael followed his gaze and realized that he was watching Tina dance wildly to one of Madonna’s more popular songs. His eyes quickly fell on Mia herself, and he sucked in a breath. This was the first time he had gotten a chance to see her up close tonight. She looked even better nearby, her beauty radiating as she danced with her friends and mother. She was somehow managing to look both like a regal princess and the Mia he had known for a dozen years.</p><p>Michael forced himself to look away when Boris started speaking to him. It hadn’t been very long since they last spoke, maybe a week or two.</p><p>“I sighed the papers for a loft today,” Michael said, speaking up over the music.</p><p>Boris gave him a big grin and an expecting look. “So…” He reached his arms out slightly.</p><p>“So, you’re free to move in whenever you want!” Michael grinned back at him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Boris had been an exceptionally good friend to him over the years, and when he told Michael about being nervous about getting a roommate for Julliard (and then later that he had actually missed registration), Michael offered up his place.</p><p>Boris was incredibly grateful, but honestly, Michael wouldn’t mind the company. He certainly had the room, and he was happy to be able to help a friend out.</p><p>Before they could say anymore, the music had been replaced with a slow song. Boris looked behind Michael at the dance floor in alarm, but before Michael could turn around, Tina showed up by her boyfriend’s side.</p><p>“Hi, Michael, it’s so nice to see you!” the girl smiled widely at him, pointedly keeping his gaze away from the dance floor. The two of them were trying to keep his attention, but Michael had already turned a bit and saw J.P. walking out onto the dance floor.</p><p>He kept a completely neutral expression as he turned back to the couple and smiled back politely. “You too, Tina. You look great.” Her smile had weakened, but she nodded at him, holding Boris’ arm. “I’m gonna go get myself something to drink, you two go dance.”</p><p>Before they could reply, Michael slid back into the crowd, making his way towards the bar. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but he needed something to get him through this night. Sure, seeing J.P. step out wasn’t exactly a thrill for him, but whatever. He knew the chances that she had broken up with him were minimal. But what did make it worse was that it seemed like there wasn’t going to be any chance for him to speak to Mia alone tonight.</p><p>After getting his drink, he glanced around the crowded boat. There were so many people he <em>could </em>speak to, but there was really only one he cared about. And he was tired of having to answer questions about his project or about how he knew Mia (“we’re really old friends” is how he was putting it).</p><p>Sighing to himself, he resolved to just spending a few minutes by himself looking out into the waters. Unfortunately, someone side-stepped right into him, and a heel landing firmly on his foot.</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>,” Michael groaned quietly, grimacing from the sharp pain in his big toe.</p><p>“I beg your pardon?”</p><p><em>Fuck</em>. Not from the pain this time. That voice inflicted more pain to Michael than a heel ever could have.  </p><p>He made no attempt to smile as he looked up, “Sorry.”</p><p>Princess Clarisse looked quite disgruntled, as if it was his fault that she had run into him. He noted the sidecar in her hand and wondered how many of them she had already had tonight.</p><p>Mia’s grandmother had never liked him and refused to pretend to, no matter where they were. He was well-aware that she only ever referred to him as “that boy” while he and Mia had been dating. Mia never told him, but Lilly let it spill one day. Not that he cared. Much.</p><p>And today, it was still evident that she harbored the same disdain for him, no matter what medical marvel he made. As she eyed him, he decided to just let it go. It didn't matter if she never liked him, all that mattered was that Mia did. </p><p>"Excuse me," was all he said, giving her a (fake) polite smile and walking away. </p><p>At that point, he didn’t want to risk being alone anymore and found Lilly and Kenneth lurking around the dance floor filming. Almost as soon as she saw that Michael had joined them, she lowered the camera and headed straight towards Mia, who had just finished dancing. He hesitated before following them but decided it was better now than never.</p><p>Michael was pleased to hear Lilly compliment Mia’s party. Mia, on the other hand, was obviously quite astonished and almost choked on the shrimp cocktail she had been eating. He was also pleased to see that she was looking directly at him, even when speaking to Lilly. He gave her a warm smile, but she didn’t reciprocate it. She just kept staring at him.</p><p>Under her gaze, Michael ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind. “Nice party hat you’ve got there, Thermopolis.” He kept glancing up at her tiara, which suited her so perfectly.</p><p>She thanked him, looking a tad embarrassed, and quickly switched the topic to her dad’s campaign. She expressed the worry she felt about her father losing out on even one day, which Michael found ridiculous. He had met her father’s opponent, René, a few times while visiting Genovia, and that guy was the most self-absorbed idiot Michael had ever met.</p><p>As if anyone would vote for that tool when perfectly good Price Phillip was right there. Which is what Michael expressed to the group, and he caught Mia’s grateful smile before Boris somehow switched the conversation to bloomin’ onions. There seemed to be some discussion going on that Michael didn’t quite understand, but then Kenneth pointed out that Mia’s dad seemed happy to be at the party, currently dancing with Ms. Martinez.</p><p>Michael watched as Mia’s face switched quickly to hide her horror, and then they went back to discussing why her father was running for prime minister.</p><p>He had been absentmindedly watching the people on the dance floor, mostly removed from the conversation until he heard Boris say something about Mia going to the University of Genovia. And then Michael couldn’t help it, his head whipped around so fast and he was staring at Mia with wide eyes.</p><p>“University of Genovia? Why are you going <em>there</em>?” Their reputation was… Well, lacking, for lack of a better word. And Michael knew that Mia could do so much better than there. He felt kind of bad about his reaction when he saw Mia turn red, looking extremely embarrassed. Except that this wasn’t a cute embarrassed, it was a can-we-not-talk-about-this-at-my-birthday-party kind of embarrassed.</p><p>Boris answered before she could, quite bluntly stating that she hadn’t gotten into anywhere else for a reason as stupid enough as her math SAT. <em>That makes no sense. </em>Michael was studying Mia, watching her expression carefully. There were tons of schools that didn’t care about SAT scores, especially when she probably applied to do something in English. And other than math, her grades were really good. And, for crying out loud, she was a <em>princess</em>. There was no way that Michael believed even for a second that she had been rejected from every other school.</p><p>Which is what he was beginning to explain until he was interrupted by Mia herself, bringing J.P. into the circle as he handed her a drink. Although Michael wasn’t happy to see the newcomer, his mind was still stuck on the college thing. There was no way, <em>no way</em>, that she had gotten rejected from everywhere. But why lie? Unless…</p><p>“Mike.” Ugh, he only liked it when his friends called him that. J.P. was now looking directly at him with a dumbstruck stare, obviously wondering what the hell Mia’s ex-boyfriend, who was meant to be living in Japan, was doing at her birthday party. Michael noticed his hand tighten around her waist as if subconsciously claiming his territory. “Hey. So. You’re back.” He felt some kind of private victory in having clearly shaken J.P. up, but then his stupid expression quickly snapped to a polite smile. In response, Michael just nodded. He had no interest in speaking to the guy.</p><p>Luckily for him, loyal Boris jumped in to explain. He went a little overboard, boasting about how big of a success the CardioArm was, but Tina elbowed him before he could continue. Michael wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed, particularly when J.P. just replied with, “Wow, that’s great.”</p><p>He then felt some irritation when Tina randomly informed him about J.P. wrote a play. Everyone looked at her, because their conversation had evidently turned into a pissing contest. But Michael just said, “Wow, that’s great,” with the same enthusiasm J.P. had shown him. It was kind of petty to mock him, but he knew that it was subtle enough not to get called out on it.</p><p>There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence, but Mia tried to excuse herself, citing princess duties. She was interrupted, although, by J.P. pulling her back into the circle and saying that he needed to make an announcement. He was suggesting that they go up the microphone and Michael could tell that Mia was unsettled by the idea. He knew better than anyone that she hated surprises, and this seemed like it was going to be one hell of a surprise.</p><p>He watched with distaste as J.P. dragged Mia up the stage and practically grabbing the microphone out of Madonna’s hands. Even though he realized that he was biased against the guy, he really couldn’t believe that anyone could think he was genuine. He was polite, sure, but he seemed so… Arrogant? Maybe it was the old money thing about him, or maybe it was how excited he seemed to have everyone looking at him.</p><p>Michael almost threw up when he heard J.P. claim, “Princess Mia means more to me, perhaps, than she does to any of you-“. That statement alone infuriated him considering they were surrounded by Mia’s family and oldest friends.</p><p>
  <em>And then the asshole took out a small black box. </em>
</p><p>The whole crowd had erupted into cheers. Michael couldn’t stand it anymore. He had no interest in hearing whatever the rest of that speech was going to consist of, and he needed to get out of there as quick as humanly possible. Before turning to leave, he looked over at Mia. Her face was going to decide what he would do.</p><p>And she looked… <em>Horrified</em>. There was no other word for it. She looked absolutely, positively horrified. She scanned the crowd and found his face. They looked at each other for a moment, but he couldn’t find it in himself to do anything. He didn’t smile, he didn’t frown, he just stood there, looking back at her until she tore her gaze away.</p><p>He then turned and walked to the exit swiftly, before the crowd got a chance to stop clapping. He didn’t want to hear whatever the hell J.P. was going to ask her (not marriage surely, she literally <em>just </em>turned 18) nor what her answer would be. Whatever it was, she was being asked in front of hundreds of people including her family, friends, teachers, and a bunch of celebrities. There were paparazzi and reporters below listening intently, ready to report on everything the next morning. It didn’t matter what she wanted, because she was going to have to say yes regardless. Michael almost wondered if that was why J.P. had planned it like that. Or maybe it was because J.P. obviously liked the attention. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem like Mia would have any choice in the matter.</p><p>As he walked down the gangplank, cameras flashed in his face and he heard questions being thrown at him. Unfortunately for him, there were significantly more people throwing around the term “ex-boyfriend” now and knew that he looked like a scorned ex-lover (seriously, <em>what? </em>Mia’s book had certainly had an effect on his inner dialogue) who was walking out as the princess’ current boyfriend makes some kind of proclamation. But, whatever, he had gotten used to Mia’s press years ago; he just needed to get used to his own now.</p><p>He didn’t answer any questions and hastily flagged down one of the nearby cabs who were waiting to take party-goers home. He would leave the limo for his family to take home.</p><p>He couldn’t hear whatever J.P. had asked due to the loud cheering. However, as he was closing the car door, he heard a squeak from the speakers. Mia’s answer had been “Well, we’ll see!”</p><p>Michael couldn’t help the smirk as he sat down in the backseat. <em>Well, we’ll see, indeed. </em></p><p>“Where to?” the cabbie looked at him through the rearview mirror with some mild interest, quite aware of all of the cameras being pointed towards them.</p><p>“Pavlov Surgical, please.” When it was clear he had no intention of elaborating, the driver set off, leaving the flashing lights behind him.</p><p>Michael knew exactly what he was going to do.</p><p>He now knew that he was undoubtedly, completely, and ferociously in love with Mia Thermopolis. And he was also quite sure that she felt the same way for him. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Progress</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Michael left the office way past midnight; it had taken him hours to make all of the proper arrangements. He had to schedule security and expedited packaging, as well as book a private jet to take the CardioArm and Midori, one of his more prized programmers, to Genovia the next afternoon. He was incredibly grateful that she had been so agreeable despite him calling her well past office hours. She said that she had always wanted to see Europe anyway and in an annoyingly knowing voice said, “there’s no way she can say no now,” before hanging up the phone. Michael wasn’t even the slightest bit embarrassed to hear that.</p><p><em>Surreal. </em>He still couldn’t believe that this was his life now.</p><p>It was after 2 in the morning when he finally got back to his parents’ apartment. It would have been more convenient to just walk back to his new loft, but it wasn’t furnished yet and most of his clothes were still sitting in his childhood bedroom. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he opened the front door but was startled to see Lilly sitting there in the dark, working on her laptop.</p><p>“Jeez, Lil, you scared the hell out of me,” he complained, reaching down to pick up the tuxedo jacket he had dropped in surprise.</p><p>“Working late?” she simply asked, fully ignoring the mini heart attack she had inflicted upon him. He just shrugged in response.</p><p>“She practically ran off the stage after he asked her. But then like 20 minutes later I saw her wearing the stupid ring. As if anyone wears <em>promise </em>rings anymore? It has this absurd, gargantuan diamond that everyone was going completely ga-ga over,” Lilly informed him without being prompted. There was a familiar edge to her voice.</p><p>Michael didn’t look back at her as she told him, simply staring off and nodding along to her words. Despite what he had just spent hours doing, feeling confident that Mia did in fact love him back, it still felt like being punched in the gut. There was no way he had read the signs wrong, but… The thought of her wearing another guy’s ring made him feel even worse than when he saw them kissing in the hallway years ago. It somehow seemed like an even bigger betrayal.</p><p>His face had obviously given him away, so Lilly’s voice softened. “He just asked her to the prom… And” she paused for a moment, but he still wouldn’t look at her. “I could tell she wanted to ask about you.”</p><p>When it was clear she had finished talking, Michael gave her a curt nod and went to the bathroom without another word. The stupid fucking prom. Of course, they were back to that. He could clearly recall Mia’s obsession with his own prom, which he had firmly refused to go to until she got his band to play.</p><p>He stared at himself in the mirror, noticing some purple coloring under his eyes from his poor sleep patterns over the past few days. He had been in New York for less than a week and had already gone through every emotion possible. Unfortunately, that’s what love can do. He splashed some cold water on his face. It all didn’t matter. The promise ring, the prom, whatever. He wasn’t giving up so easy this time.</p><hr/><p>The next day wasn’t nearly as eventful as the night before. Michael woke up early for work and headed in without having to speak to anyone. He stopped and got a coffee from a stand outside, noticing a large photo of the princess herself on a teen magazine. The title read, in big gold letters, “America’s Very Own Princess: Engaged to Her Prince Charming!”</p><p>Michael felt the sudden urge to rip the magazine up, but he just grabbed his coffee and left. Whatever, it wasn’t his problem right now.</p><p>Work was busy as always. The first thing he had to do was assistant interviews, which luckily went extremely well. He was happy to find a great match early on and ended up offering him the position on the spot. It was a bit funny because Michael’s new assistant was a college graduate and a few years older than him. But then again, so were most of the people who worked for him.</p><p>He then approved of the images his interior designer (hired by his publicist who insisted that his loft be furnished professionally- “you might need to get interviewed there!”) sent over to him. Everything looked cool, and he was impressed by how well the designer seemed to get him and what he would like. She described his style as “industrial-tech-modern-chic”, which Michael interpreted as “really-rich-computer-geek”. He forwarded some images of the loft to Boris’s email.</p><p>This was followed by a conference with his managerial team, who explained that the CardioArm waiting list was getting longer by the day.  </p><p>Michael realized about halfway through the meeting that he’d cleared his gift last night with the business team. He cleared his throat, “Oh, right. I’ve arranged for an arm and a programmer to be taken to the Royal Genovian Hospital later today. It’s completely complimentary for them, but I’ll be paying for it personally.” He spoke with an air of authority and then finished with a look that said, ‘just try and argue with me.’ The team all gave him a perplexed look, some having never even heard of Genovia before, and others wondering why Michael would ever choose to take such a loss</p><p>But no one argued or followed up with any questions, and Michael felt a wave of relief fall over him. He didn’t really know how he would have explained his donation. He hadn’t been asked by anyone, including Mia or her family, about getting Genovia a CardioArm. But the idea came to him at Mia’s party last night, as he watched her nervously discuss her father’s election. She was so concerned about the fact that he had taken a <em>single </em>day off to attend his daughter’s own birthday party. It didn’t seem right to him that she felt so bad about it. So, he thought, why not? Send a CardioArm personally from him, practically endorsing Prince Phillipe’s campaign. He already thought that Phillipe would be a good Prime Minister, and he really just wanted to make Mia. And it also didn’t hurt that he knew it would blow J.P.’s stupid ring out of the water.</p><p>For lunch, Michael met up with some of his old friends from Columbia, including his freshman year roommate, Doo Pak. He was really thankful to have stayed in touch with them through emails and the occasional visit to Japan because he knew exactly how easy it was to make “friends” now that he had money.</p><p>He was a bit embarrassed when they all toasted to his success, but it was still a good feeling. The end of the meal was happy, but also a bit bittersweet. They all talked about their classes, and internships, and roommates, and although Michael was excited to hear all about it, he couldn’t help but feel… A little left out. Which is what he was feeling when they all headed back for class while he made his way back to his office. It was great to be so successful at such a young age, but it also made him realize that he had skipped a majority of his college experience and would probably never get anything like that back again. As he walked back to Pavlov Surgical, it hit him how much of an <em>adult </em>he was now, walking back to his full-time job at the ripe age of twenty-one.</p><p>For an odd reason, that thought made him think of Mia. She had always been younger than him, and seemingly in different places in life. But she too had her whole life planned out for her. She had had her life decided when she was just 14 years old. Perhaps that’s why he had been so ready to plan his own around hers when he was just a teenager.</p><p>He wondered how many times she had felt the same way he was feeling now, that bittersweetness about everything being decided so early on. Well, hopefully not <em>everything</em>. She was still wearing that guy’s ring.</p><p>Passing a video game store, Michael paused and glanced into the window. Just because he was an adult now, didn’t mean that he still couldn’t enjoy his free time. With a smile, he opened the door and walked in without a second thought.</p><p>He came home late again that night, though nowhere near as late as the day before. His parents were sitting in the den watching TV, while Lilly was sitting and working on her laptop again. Michael heated up some leftovers and sat down next to her.</p><p>“You do realize that you’re a senior who’s about to graduate, right? There’s no way you have that much work to do,” he teased, digging into the meal. Maya was still making his favorites in celebration of his homecoming.  </p><p>His sister stuck her tongue out at him in a mocking way. “Please, I have more important stuff to do than school.”</p><p>He nodded knowingly. “Your show? At lunch today, Doo Pak told me that it’s still a huge hit amongst his friends in Korea.”</p><p>“It <em>is </em>doing really well,” she cracked him a smug grin. “But no, I’m not working on that either. It’s actually Mia’s birthday present.”</p><p>He choked on the chicken he was eating, coughing a bit, “<em>Huh</em>? Wasn’t her birthday yesterday?”</p><p>Lilly rolled her eyes but looked satisfied by his shock all the same. “Well, you did tell me to be nicer to her.”</p><p>He shrugged, still looking unconvinced. “Yeah, I know, but… What even is it?”</p><p>“Happy you finally asked,” she said, looking excited and turning her laptop around so he could see. “I’m almost finished, I just haven’t found the right music to use ‘cause of stupid copyright laws.”</p><p>She pressed play in the editing software and presented Michael with what looked like a commercial… In <em>support</em> of Prince Phillip for Prime Minister. It was still a rough cut, but there were a bunch of interviews from celebrities at Mia’s party the night before, praising her dad. There were also some really nice shots of Genovia that Lilly must have taken during their trips there.</p><p>“Woah…” was all he said as he watched in complete shock. There was no music yet, which made the whole thing feel a bit awkward, but it was still really impressive. And then he laughed, which made Lilly gave him an irritated look.</p><p>“I told you it’s not finished yet. And I’m not even sure if I even want to release it,” she said defensively, turning the laptop away from him. But Michael wasn’t laughing because of the commercial.</p><p>He shook his head, still chuckling to himself. “No, Lil, it’s actually really good. You should definitely send it. Really, no sarcasm whatsoever. It’s funny because I think two Jewish kids from Manhattan are going to win Prince Phillipe’s election for him.”</p><p>She frowned at him, obviously not following, so he continued. “I donated a CardioArm to them, it’ll be arriving tomorrow.”</p><p>“Why would you do <em>that</em>?” her eyes were the size of saucers now.</p><p>He shrugged, looking back down at his noodles. “I thought it would make Mia happy, and everyone needs one anyway.” Glancing up at her, he saw her uncertain face. “What?”</p><p>“Uhm, it’s just something I heard from Mia today…” She didn’t elaborate, so Michael kept looking at her.</p><p>“And that was?”</p><p>She looked down to inspect her fingernail, “it’s nothing, really. It was just pretty clear that she was pissed about you leaving her party yesterday.”</p><p>“Mia told <em>you </em>that? Are you guys finally friends again?” He didn’t really care that Mia was angry about him leaving. Obviously, he left when her boyfriend was practically proposing to her. But it was nice to know that she noticed and cared. What he did find strange, is why Mia would tell anything like that to Lilly.  </p><p>She glared at him, “No, we’re not. And she didn’t <em>tell </em>me. I was in the bathroom and overheard her.” Lilly paused for a moment, as if considering whether to tell him more or not. “She also said some more stuff… About prom.” She was back to inspecting her nails, ignoring his frown at her.</p><p>“Okay. So?” Prom again, of course. This conversation was starting to get really annoying.</p><p>Lilly opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, and then opened it again. “Never mind, it’s not even important. You wouldn’t even go to prom if she wanted you there, would you?” She was now looked at him with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>He gave her a wary look, basically answering the question. He wasn’t sure if even his love for Mia could convince him to go to a high school prom as a graduated twenty-something.  </p><p>He didn’t care to continue the topic, and then had an idea. “Hey,” she looked back up at him expectantly. “How about you use some Skinner Box music for the commercial? I have a song that I think will be perfect for the end.”</p><p>She considered his suggestion but looked a bit skeptical. Sure, they hadn’t been the greatest band in the world, but Michael knew that this melody was perfect. He had written it when he was visiting Mia in Genovia over the summer. It was totally cheesy at the time, strumming his guitar as he sat on a beach, looking out onto the ocean. But the song was pretty good, and he knew that Mia had loved it when he played it for her. It was perfect for this, and there would be no copyright to go through. “Come on, I swear it’s actually good. Let me send you the recording and you can decide for yourself.”</p><p>Finally, she agreed. “Knock yourself out. <em>If </em>I send it, it’ll be sometime tomorrow so they can start playing it midnight their time.”</p><p>He grinned at her, putting his plate in the sink. “<em>When </em>you send it. This is really decent of you, Lil. It’ll make her happy.”</p><p>Lilly nodded neutrally and he started heading back to his room, but she called him back again. “Hey, Michael?”</p><p>He came back into the room and just kind of looked at her like “<em>What now?</em>”</p><p>“You should be there. At prom… By the elevators, around midnight. Mia might need some assistance.” ”</p><p>He stared at her, just blinking, but she just went back to her laptop like she hadn’t said anything at all. He was too confused to answer, so he just spun around and went back to his room. What <em>the</em> <em>fuck </em>did that even mean? He literally had just told her that he wouldn’t be caught dead at a high-school prom (in so many words), and even though midnight hardly qualified as being at the prom, what? What kind of help would Mia need? </p><p>Oh, whatever. He didn’t have the time or energy to try and comprehend Lilly’s cryptic messages. He had to fish out his backup hard drive and find the song to send to her.  </p><hr/><p>A call around lunch the next day confirmed that the CardioArm and Midori had landed in Genovia and been taken to the hospital. They also confirmed that Prince Phillipe had been sent the card stating that the donation was done personally by Michael Moscovitz, President and CEO of Pavlov Surgical Industries. Yeah, maybe Michael had laid it on a little thick, but he wanted to make a point. He knew that Mia’s father had always liked him well enough, but he still really wanted to show off to him. And this way, there would be no question about the donation.  </p><p>Throughout the rest of the day, he (somewhat) anxiously kept glancing at his phone, waiting for… <em>Something </em>to happen. The best-case scenario was that Mia called him directly, or came to see him, and thank him. The worst-case was if he got a fruit basket with Genovian olive oil delivered to the office.</p><p>So far, it was already almost the end of the workday, and he hadn’t heard anything. He was sitting at his desk, going over his new assistant’s contract, when he finally heard his phone ping.</p><p>He hesitated for a moment, trying not to get his hopes too high up. The message could be about anything, and from anyone. It could be his designer confirming their meeting later today, it could be his mom telling him that she was buying him new underwear (God, he hoped not), or… It could be Mia proclaiming her gratitude and love for him.</p><p>His willpower barely lasted a minute, and he was thrilled to see that the message was actually from Mia. It was a really formal thank you message on behalf of Genovia and Mia’s father, which made Michael snort a little. He could imagine her most princess voice as he read it. But then his heart jumped out of his chest when he read that she wanted to meet in person, to say thank you. She signed off the message with “Sincerely, Mia” which he tried not to let bother him. The whole thing was weird to see, especially considering that they had been wrestling over hot chocolate just a few days before.  </p><p>But, honestly, he didn’t care that much. He just wanted to see her, alone, and as soon as possible. Without even bothering to try and conceal his eagerness, he replied immediately.</p><p><em>Would love to see you “in person.” How about tonight?</em> he wrote back. But before he sent it, he thought he might add something a bit cheekier, to really make his feelings known. Who gave a damn if he was being obvious? He was in love with the girl, and he wanted to make it clear. He didn’t care if the whole world knew at that point, he just wanted her to know. So, he finished with <em>P.S. No need to thank me on behalf of your father or Genovia. I only sent it because I thought it might help out your dad in the elections, and that, in turn, would make you </em>happy<em>. So you see my motives were completely selfish.</em></p><p>He almost added a wink but vetoed that idea in his mind. He was definitely being quite clear with his intentions, there was no way even someone as oblivious as Mia could misconstrue that statement. He clicked SEND, feeling quite pleased with himself.</p><p>He imagined Mia’s reaction as she opened the message. Would she be happy or freaked out? It really didn’t matter, though he did hope it was leaning towards the first one.</p><p>He spent the rest of the day even more frequently checking his phone, but no messages from Mia came. She had obviously seen it since he replied right after her. But she was ignoring it. That thought made him feel just the slightest bit crushed, but whatever. He just needed to keep telling himself whatever. Maybe tonight was too soon, but at least it was honest. Maybe he came on too strong, but… At least he was honest.</p><p>He continued to discretely check his phone every few minutes as his interior designer showed him around the newly furnished loft. It was amazing how different it looked and how quickly the company had managed to do it. After just a few days, it was practically move-in ready. It was shocking how quickly things could be done with the right amount of money.</p><p>He especially loved the whole TV set-up, which featured every current gaming platform available on the market. There was also a perfect place to display his CDs. He complimented the designer, who looked quite pleased to have done so well.</p><p>The whole place was just so perfectly him; it was as if she had gone into his mind and extracted everything he would have liked. </p><p>There were still some things that needed to be finished, but his loft was totally livable now. He would just have to get the rest of the things from his parents’ home, and then he would be free to move in.</p><p>He thanked the designer as she left, and then took a few photos to show his parents and Boris. It was really happening now. He was officially back living in New York City.</p><p>He headed back to his parents’ place and the four of them had dinner. Lilly told them about how her commercial was now airing over in Genovia, and begrudgingly thanked him for the song, which she did end up using. She showed them all the finished product and it was really impressive actually. It looked totally professional and praised Prince Phillipe to high heavens. Their parents looked incredibly proud of her and gave their nods of approval.</p><p>Michael told them about the loft and showed off the photos he had taken, which made them all realized that it was their last family dinner with him living there. That bittersweet feeling Michael had felt the day before returned for a moment, that reminder that he had grown up. They were all still really happy for him, and he invited them to dinner at his place later in the week. It was a bit strange, knowing that they were all still going to be living in the city, but separated at the same time. It was nice, though, to know that they would always be around when he needed them.</p><p>By the time Mia finally answered him, Michael was well-aware that they would not be meeting up that night. This message was much relaxed and actually sounded like Mia his friend, not Princess Mia Renaldi.</p><p>She asked him to lunch on Friday (Senior Skip Day), citing Boris’s senior project the next night. Michael already knew about the concert and had been planning on going, but it was nice to know that she would be there as well. He wasn’t overly thrilled about the idea of lunch, rather than dinner, but he could make it work. Grinning to himself, he knew exactly what he wanted to do immediately. He sent a quick text to his new assistant, asking to get him a reservation for one o’clock on Friday. And then he had a confirmation within five minutes. God, he was so glad he hired that guy on the spot.</p><p>He messaged her back, suggesting the Central Park Boathouse, lakeside. He remembered how they used to walk around the park together and how Mia would sometimes sneak longing looks to the restaurant. He had always planned on taking her there one day.</p><p>He deliberately ended the message with “Love, Michael” this time, because he meant it. He didn’t care one bit about how obvious he was being or even if he sounded desperate. The time for games and subtlety was over. He loved her and he was ready to let her know.   </p><p>He had been packing up his things in some boxes when he got another message. This time, it was from Boris.</p><p>Boris “Metalhead” Pelkowski: Mike, the loft looks so COOL. Are you sure you’re okay with me staying there? And not paying rent?</p><p>M: Dude, I’m happy to have you there. And don’t worry about rent. We’re gonna have some sick video games night.</p><p>B: !!! Heck yeah.</p><p>Michael got another message about 30 seconds later.</p><p>B: I’m on my way home from J.P.’s play. You should have seen it, it was so stupid. It wasn’t even original- he literally just wrote it about himself and Mia. And guess what?</p><p>M: What?</p><p>B: He made YOU the villain. You seemed like a total jerk in the story.</p><p>Michael almost snorted when he read that. He, who had spent two years working tirelessly on a project designed to make heart surgery safer, was the villain to J.P., the guy who wrote a play about his girlfriend’s life.</p><p>M: Ha-ha, of course he did. How did Mia feel about the play?</p><p>B: She said she was happy, but Tee was worried about it. He made her look her look totally dumb.  </p><p>M: What a shock. I’m the villain, she’s the zany princess, and he’s the hero. Sound about right?</p><p>B: Yeah, you’ve got it down. Sean Penn’s going to option it and dude almost shit bricks. Tina and I left right after that because the paparazzi was starting to freak out outside.</p><p>Michael cringed at the thought of yet <em>another </em>movie about Mia’s life. And <em>of course</em> there were paparazzi at his stupid play.</p><p>M: Alright, well thanks for letting me know, man. And good luck tomorrow! I’ll be there right after work.</p><p>Boris texted him a quick bye as Michael went back to packing his things away. He definitely didn’t feel any bit guilty about his Friday date with Mia. This guy was no freshman Kenny Showalter; he didn’t deserve any of Michael’s pity.</p><p>He glanced over at his bed and again remembered the box sitting below it. This time, he confidently went over and pulled it out.</p><p>The last time the box had been opened was after his family’s first trip to visit him in Japan. It was around Christmas and at that point, Michael was mostly over his breakup with Mia. He was deep into his work and was no longer plagued with random thoughts of her (a drastic difference to now). The night before his family left to go back home, Michael was riffling through his top desk drawer looking for an adapter. It was then that he saw a small box, hidden under the random things he had thrown into the drawer over the previous 4 months. He didn’t even bother opening it, knowing that it might set him back more than anything. He knew it held that damn snowflake necklace he had fished out of the carpet at the Ritz. The thought of it just brought him back to their last fight, and he had made so much progress with her since then that he didn’t want to bring all that back up.</p><p>So, the morning they were leaving, he walked over to his mom. Quietly, he requested that she take the necklace back with her and leave it in the box under his bed. He didn’t want to throw it away, but he also didn’t want to be weighed down by the tiny piece of metal in Japan. She agreed without the need for any convincing, understanding quite well.</p><p>The last time the box had been opened was by his mother, hiding away the only remaining piece of Mia that Michael had taken with him. But now, he felt like he had so much more of her back and wasn’t scared of what was inside anymore.</p><p>He opened it and right on top was the small box. He looked at the necklace sitting inside, shining just as it had years ago. He shut the box carefully and put it on top of the pile he was bringing back to his loft.  </p><p>After a long time, that little snowflake suddenly didn’t seem so intimidating anymore.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Happy New Year!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Concert and a Crush</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Michael spent Thursday morning making some finishing touches to his new loft. He hung up his clothes, put a few knickknacks on the shelf, and even got his groceries delivered and put away. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he now had all the essentials. Milk, eggs, Hot Pockets, microwave popcorn, Coke. Again, all the essentials for a 21-year-old man. He even had a bag of lettuce thrown in just for kicks.</p><p>It still wasn’t completely done, but the place already felt like home to Michael. The thought of coming back to his own apartment after work filled him with a giddiness.</p><p>He headed back to the office around lunchtime and worked practically non-stop until he needed to leave for Boris’s concert. The only breaks he had taken were a few moments to read up on the Genovian political race, and he was happy to see that Lilly’s commercial had been incredibly well-received. Along with Michael’s own contribution, Prince Phillipe’s campaign was now doing better than ever. He wondered how Mia was feeling about the news.</p><p>He took a cab to Carnegie Hall and met Lilly and Kenneth, who were both back in their fully punked-out attire. Although he was totally cool with his sister’s look, he did feel a bit out of place next to them in his muted button-up shirt and dress pants.</p><p>The hall was filled with energized conversation before the concert started, and the energy was just amplified when Boris came out.</p><p>The music was good, an elevated version of what Michael used to hear in G&amp;T class. He hadn’t heard Boris play in-person since their band went on an indefinite hiatus, so it was nice to see how much Boris had improved over the years. About 15 minutes into the show, however, the thought did occur to him that because Boris would be living with him and going to music school, Michael might want to consider sound-proofing a closet for him.</p><p>Just kidding, he’d sound-proof a whole bedroom.</p><p>He could see Mia from his seat if he turned his head around. He noticed her as soon as she walked in, Lars trailing right behind her. She also had J.P. on her arm looking just as smug as Michael remembered him. It seemed like he disliked the guy more every time he saw him now.</p><p>Looking over at them, he could see J.P. whispering something in her ear as she nodded along, looking uninterested. Michael felt a twinge of jealously and wondered if Mia knew that he was there.</p><p>He tore his eyes off the couple and started back at the stage. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw her head turn in his direction. Yeah, she definitely knew he was there.</p><p>And then it was intermission, and Michael almost couldn’t believe that they still had an hour and a half left. People were chattering animatedly around him, clutching Boris CDs in their hands. The concert was certainly a big hit.  </p><p>Lilly had already stepped out to go to the bathroom and Michael was speaking to Kenneth about work. But a few seconds later, he watched as Mia and Lars got up and left the hall while J.P. stayed seated. He saw her grab her journal from Lars.</p><p>He knew exactly where she was going. Michael quickly excused himself from his conversation with Kenneth, interrupting him as he was saying something about a summer internship or whatever.</p><p>Michael headed straight towards the ladies’ room and stood far enough away to not seem like a creep waiting outside the bathroom, but close enough to catch her when she came out. He ended up making eye contact with Lars, who smirked at him. Michael shrugged back, giving him a sheepish grin. He knew damn well that Lars knew about their date- er, plans- the next day.</p><p>Michael wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say to Mia, but he just really wanted to talk to her. He hadn’t seen her since they locked eyes before he left her party, which, thanks to Lilly, he knew she had taken to heart. Maybe he would apologize to her? Explain himself?</p><p>Except, he didn’t really have anything to apologize for, technically speaking. And so much had happened since then (a whopping 3 days), that it seemed like a moot point. While he was still deliberating, the lights started flickering, a sign that intermission was coming to an end.</p><p>
  <em>Come on, Mia.</em>
</p><p>He kept his eyes on the door as people moved back into the hall and he saw Lilly come out with a dark look on her face. He saw Mia exit not too long after her, but she now looked nervous and was chewing on a fingernail.</p><p>Lars looked at her and then back at Michael, doing a subtle head shake. Yeah, he had to agree. This was not the right time.  </p><p>He went back to his seat as quickly and discretely as possible. </p><p>The rest of the concert was more of the same, but the crowd was practically screaming with cheers when Boris finished. The entire hall was giving him a standing ovation and his name was booming across the room.</p><p>After the standing ovations finally ended, the three of them went up to the stage to congratulate the musical genius. Mia, Tina, and J.P. were already up there speaking with him and Michael considered staying back, but Boris spotted him and waved them over before he could turn around.</p><p>He shook his friend’s hand heartily and told him how great he thought the performance was. After Boris’s attention had been shifted, Michael tried to look completely neutral, greeting everyone in the circle and giving them a polite smile. It was then painfully obvious that he was somehow the 7<sup>th</sup> wheel to a bunch of high schoolers. The three couples were all holding onto each other in some way, and Michael almost regretted not bringing a date. Why hadn’t he?</p><p>Oh right. His only option currently had a guy’s hand on her waist.</p><p>He decided that it was safest to look at Tina, who had begun speaking to everyone in a rather high-pitched voice (something about the senior project committee going out last night). Other than the simple hello he gave everyone, he wasn’t going to give Mia any special attention. There was a part of him that was seething at the sight of Mia and J.P. together, but there was also a part that enjoyed having their meeting just a little secret between them. By the worried glances Mia kept giving him, Michael could tell that she had failed to mention their lunch to her boyfriend.</p><p>Just as the girl was babbling, Mia grabbed Tina’s arm and pulled her away from the stage, using a soothing voice in her ear. Michael saw Tina turn back and look directly at him, but he pretended to be listening to J.P. talk about his fabulous night with Sean Penn.  </p><p>He and Boris shared a discrete knowing look, and Michael had to cough to cover up his laugh. They continued making polite conversation with each other, except for Lilly, who was flat-out ignoring J.P. and occasionally whispered in Kenneth’s ear while her ex-boyfriend was talking.</p><p>When J.P. finally had to take a breath, Michael took the opportunity to ask Boris what his plans were for the rest of the night. The younger boy pointed over to a large group in the front row. Michael was pretty sure he recognized Boris’s mom, who was holding a large bouquet of flowers.</p><p>“We’re having a big family dinner at home; my grandmother made a bunch of Russian food. Oh! My parents really want to meet you, since I’m going to be living with you next year.”</p><p>Michael agreed with a nod and an unsure smile. He didn’t much enjoy meeting other people’s parents, but he was happy to have an excuse to not listen to J.P. anymore. Boris waved his parents up and introduced them.</p><p>They began asking Michael about the loft and about making sure that Boris stayed out of trouble. As he was speaking to them, he saw Mia hurrying towards them and telling the group a quick good-bye. Michael didn’t even get the chance to respond because she was already dragging J.P. off of the stage and heading out the door.</p><p>Whatever. They had tomorrow planned, and that’s all that really mattered.   </p>
<hr/><p>Michael woke up to his alarm that morning and saw a blank ceiling up above him. He was lying in a brand-new bed, listening to the same-old traffic outside. This was his new life. It felt a bit weird.</p><p>But today was finally the day. The day he would (hopefully) tell Mia that he loved her. Again. Damn. At least it all felt easier now than it had 4 years ago. At least now he knew that he had a chance.</p><p>He somehow felt both anxious and calm. His heart was beating harder and faster than normal, but he also felt serene just lying there. At least he might finally get his answers today.</p><p>He sprang out of bed, stretching as he got up. He would be going into the office for the morning but dipping out before lunch. His entire afternoon had been cleared so there was no worry about hurrying back.</p><p>Although he attended his meetings and checked in with the lab, all Michael could think about was the lunch. He was trying not to get his hopes up too high, but he also didn’t care that he was. He was going to make his feelings known to her, and hopefully get her to admit the same to him.</p><p>The morning was a blur, and Michael was thrilled when he arrived back at his loft around noon. He was really enjoying having it so close to work.  He took a quick shower and gave his hair a shake. This haircut was really working for him.</p><p>The restaurant was on the formal side, so a sport coat or suit was required. He ended up going with a sport coat because he couldn’t be bothered with wearing a tie for like the 5<sup>th</sup> time that week. He also had an inkling that he might have some advantage to having his neck out in the open…   </p><p>He glanced at himself in the hall mirror and took a small breath. He looked good, he thought. Hopefully, Mia would think so too.</p><p>He arrived to the restaurant about 15 minutes early and waited outside the Boathouse without any care about looking over-eager. He caught sight of a stand selling flowers nearby but thought better of it. He wanted his hands free when he saw Mia.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A Lunch-Date-Or-Whatever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mia and Lars arrived to the restaurant right at 1 o’clock and Michael smiled warmly at them. Without even thinking twice, he leaned down to kiss her cheek the moment she was close enough. She just looked so very pretty in her sundress and with her hair softly framing her face.</p><p>She almost backed away when he did so and yelped something about a cold. He didn’t believe her for a second, laughing as he said, “I like your germs.” She didn’t back away anymore so he gingerly kissed her cheek. It was just as soft and warm as he remembered. He felt her breath on his neck again.</p><p>Not quite the romantic start he had been hoping for, but it was very Mia.</p><p>However, as he pulled away, her eyes were fluttering, and she almost fell over. Literally. Lars ended up holding onto her elbow and asking if she was alright.</p><p>Michael was suppressing a grin as she tried to play it off with a laugh. Thank God he didn’t wear the tie.</p><p>She looked a bit panicked when they were shown to their table. Michael’s assistant had really gotten them the best seats in the place because there was a perfect patch of sun overlapping it and a beautiful view of the lake. Lars took a spot at the bar, giving Michael a small wink as he walked away.</p><p>Mia kept looking back at the lake, a bit scatter-brained. It didn’t seem like she was listening to a word he was saying but kept nodding along anyway.</p><p>“And so, a velociraptor came crashing into the office, demanding that we give him Pop-Tarts or else he’d steal every robot arm we’ve ever made,” Michael went on, and her nodding confirmed that she indeed wasn’t listening to him. She just kept nervously glancing between him, Lars, and the lake. Despite her frenzy, she looked incredibly beautiful in the sunlight.</p><p>“Mia, are you all right?” he finally asked, watching her with some amusement. It was nice to know that he was still able to frazzle her like this.</p><p>Looking startled as he called her out, she tried to play it off again, but then her eyes lit up as she remembered something. Now focused only on him, she told him that an editor wanted to publish her book.</p><p>He felt a wave of happiness wash over him as he beamed at her. She looked back at him with one of the first genuine smiles he had gotten from her since returning, and he proclaimed that they needed to celebrate. He waved down the waiter and ordered some sparkling waters to toast with. He kept on praising her while waiting for the drinks, and she was trying to bashfully underplay it.</p><p>“No, Mia, this is amazing news. You should be thrilled! You’re going to be a published author!”</p><p>“Oh, stop, Michael,” she was motioning for him to calm down. “.. But do you wanna know what the best part is?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Mia paused for a second, giving him a small smile, “she didn’t even know that I’d written it. I sent it under the fake name.”</p><p>He nodded, “Of course you did. And she loved it, because, as I told you, it’s really good. And I mean that. I couldn’t put it down that whole day”</p><p>She didn’t speak for a moment, watching him with a fond look. The waiter brought over the waters and Michael proposed a toast to Mia and her book. She looked a bit overwhelmed and toasted him right back.</p><p>“And to you and your CardioArm, which is <em>actually</em> going to be saving people’s lives.”</p><p>He shook his head, “Mia, while my CardioArm is saving their life, their family members might be reading your book in the waiting room. It’ll give them the comfort they need.” She rolled her eyes, but he could tell that she was pleased.</p><p>They ordered their food and kept smiling at each other back and forth. It was all going extremely well. Mia had calmed down, and they were speaking to each other warmly.</p><p>That is, everything was going well until Michael was momentarily blinded, a rainbow being cast over his face. His attention was brought to the culprit, the (enormous) diamond on her ring finger, which Michael silently agreed with Lilly about being absurd. Mia looked utterly mortified as she hastily pulled the ring off and hid it away in her bag.</p><p>He didn’t let it phase him; he already knew about the stupid ring, so who cares that she was wearing it? Instead, he teased, “That’s some rock. So are you guys, like, engaged now?” He was well aware that they weren’t, but also knew that it would rile Mia up a little. She then lamely told him that it a friendship ring, which somehow made him feel worse. Why lie to him at this point?</p><p>She looked a bit depleted when he commented back with something about friendships having gotten more expensive than he remembered. He hadn’t meant to sound quite that snarky. Their conversation had taken a quick turn from the fond smiles they’d been sharing.</p><p>And for some reason, the next thing out of his mouth was asking about J.P.’s college plans. Now that the ring had been brought up, Michael suddenly couldn’t stop remembering that she still had a boyfriend.</p><p>Mia spoke carefully as she explained that J.P. was considering putting off college to go to Hollywood and work on his movie. The thought perked Michael right back up, and he could hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he asked if they were thinking about doing long-distance. Considering that Mia and Michael had tried and were basically broken up as soon as he sat on the plane, he didn’t really see it working out for them either. Oops, was that too bitter?</p><p>But then she said something that made his stomach drop. She was thinking about going <em>with </em>him?</p><p>He didn’t even try to conceal his astonishment when he blurted out, “To Hollywood?” quite harshly. It was the same shock he had felt as when he heard that she might be going to college in Genovia. I mean, going to California? To follow around her snobby boyfriend? What would she even <em>do </em>there, make him his coffee as he left for set?</p><p>But he regretted the harshness in his voice after seeing Mia’s startled face and apologized. Stumbling over his words, he explained that he just didn’t see her as the Hollywood type (because she wasn’t). But then he was worried that would come across poorly, so he explained that it wasn’t because she wasn’t glamorous enough (because she totally was). </p><p>She looked embarrassed, which seemed to be a recurring trend with them now, and thanked him. Before Michael could say anything else, the waiter brought over their salads and he forced himself to look polite.</p><p>When the waiter finally walked away (God, how long did it take to offer some pepper?), Mia continued.</p><p>Luckily for him, she seemed to understand where he was coming from and hadn’t taken much offense. She wasn’t sure what she would do in Hollywood, but J.P. so graciously suggested that she could write. Man, he was really starting to hate that guy now. And then she admitted that she had always wanted to talk a year off to do Greenpeace, which he already knew. He also knew that her parents (or more so, her dad and grandmother) had vetoed that idea years ago.</p><p>He expressed that they probably weren’t thrilled about the idea of her going to Hollywood either, to which she agreed. Michael was relieved to see that Mia didn’t look all that excited about the plan, and relaxed when he realized he probably wouldn’t need to worry about it very much.  </p><p>She explained that she needed to figure some things out and that her parents expected a decision by the election, which was coming up in just a few days.</p><p>He reassured her that she’d do the right thing because she always did. It was this statement that rattled the conversation once again. She was now arguing with him, asserting that she screws everything up.</p><p>She then carefully put her fork down and claimed that he should know more than anyone because she ruined their relationship. That took him by complete surprise. He blinked at her, completely stunned.</p><p>“No, you didn’t. I did.” And he meant that. It was his choice to move to Japan, his choice to insensitively tell her about Judith, and ultimately, his choice to break up. How in the world was their breakup <em>her </em>fault?</p><p>She didn’t seem to see it that way, because she was still arguing with him. She said that she shouldn’t have made such a big deal about Judith. He interrupted her and said that he should've told her sooner. She then replied by saying that she’d acted like a psycho. He interrupted her again saying that no she didn’t. And he really did mean it. Honestly, they both had made a lot of mistakes.</p><p>But then she interrupted him, holding up her hand and laughing humorlessly. “Can we please not try to rewrite history? I did. You were right to break up with me. Things were getting too intense. We both needed a breather.”</p><p>Michael almost snorted at her statement. Yeah, a breather. As in a break. Not as in go and get engaged to someone else, which is exactly what he ended up saying out loud. He hadn’t meant to sound quite so bitter, but he didn’t care enough to hide it. He stuffed the remaining forkfuls of salad into his mouth as she just stared at him.</p><p>She obviously looked fazed and he was starting to feel guilty again. Not because she had a boyfriend or whatever, but because he was obviously upsetting her. He wanted this lunch to go well, and so far, they had spent a majority of their time fighting.</p><p>So, as the waiter grabbed their plates, he laughed and claimed that he was just kidding. He hadn’t been, of course, but he really wanted to get back to some happier topics.  </p><p>She was still staring at him, stuck processing what he had said. It really wasn’t how he had planned to express his feelings for her, but he couldn’t really take it back now.</p><p>“Just kidding. Look, I knew it was a risk. I couldn’t have expected that you were going to wait around for me forever,” that was true, but he had still been hoping. “You can get engaged-or, what is it? Right, friendship-ringed-to whomever you want. I’m just glad you’re happy.” He did want her happy, that part was also true. But she really didn’t <em>seem</em> happy, no matter how big of a diamond she had in her bag.</p><p>She was still watching him wordlessly when their main courses were put down, and Michael took it as a chance to reset the conversation. He just wanted her to smile at him again.</p><p>“So,” he cracked a grin as he said, “When do you think Joss Whedon is finally gonna get around to doing that <em>Buffy </em>reunion movie? He’s way overdue.”</p><p>She still looked a bit taken aback, picking up some mashed potatoes on her fork. “Uh… Hopefully soon, I guess.”</p><p>He nodded, trying to keep the conversation moving along, “I know he’s been talking about it for like, 10 years, but still, it could totally happen.”</p><p>Mia finally laughed, though she still didn’t seem fully comfortable. “I’d kill to see the Scooby gang back together again… Oh, but I did see that they released a comic book earlier this year.”</p><p>Michael nodded, “yeah, I saw that. Apparently, it’s what season 8 would have been. You totally reminded me though, I might even stop by a comic book store and pick up a copy.”</p><p>She was now smiling again, easing back into the conversation. And then they were off, and it was like two years had never gone by.   </p><p>“Ooh, definitely tell me what you think of it. Maybe I'll get it myself if you think it’s good.”</p><p>“Ha. Yeah, right, as if you would read a comic book.”</p><p>“Hey! If it has Willow Rosenberg in it, I’m reading it.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, sure. I’ll lend it to you and we’ll see if that really happens.</p><p>“Oh, that would be <em>ever </em>so kind, Michael. Thank you, I am so incredibly indebted to you for lending me the book you don’t have yet.”</p><p>They were both grinning widely, and it was as if their earlier conversations hadn’t happened.  </p><p>“And oh my God, did you see that Karen Allen’s coming back for the new <em>Indiana Jones</em> movie?”</p><p>“Seriously? No way! She might be 30 years older, but she still looks so hot.”</p><p>Mia rolled her eyes, but she was amused. “Not only is she ‘hot’; she’s totally awesome! I hope she gets a bunch of screen time.”</p><p>“You’re totally right, she absolutely rocks. You know, I always thought you looked a bit like her.”</p><p>“Uh uh, no you didn’t. Stop lying!”</p><p>“Mia, seriously. I could totally see you running next to Harrison Ford, fighting Nazis and kicking butt. All you’d need to do is dye your hair brown.”</p><p>“Oh, quit it. You look like Harrison Ford just as much as I look like Karen Allen.”</p><p>“Well, I’m going to take that a compliment then. Harrison Ford is quite a good-looking man.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What did you think about Boris’s concert?”</p><p>“I think he sounds really good when he’s not being trapped in a supply closet.”</p><p>“Ha-ha, you’re definitely right. I can’t believe how many people were holding onto their CDs like prized possessions though.</p><p>“Yeah, that was insane. I think I might need to sound-proof a room for him or something.”</p><p>“Oh, right. He mentioned that he’s going to be staying with you. That’s awfully nice of you, Michael. He told us that you’re not making him pay a cent.”</p><p>“It’s fine, Boris has been a good friend to me, and he needed my help.”</p><p>“And the apartment’s so <em>huge</em>, right? Boris mentioned that part too.”</p><p>“It’s not <em>that </em>big, it’s just…”</p><p>“The size of a Manhattan palace.”</p><p>“I’m not sure it measures up to <em>your </em>palace. But I guess you’ll just need to see it and decide for yourself.”</p><p>“Whatever… Oh my God! I’ve completely forgotten why I asked you to this lunch. I really do want to thank you for sending over a Cardioarm to Genovia.”</p><p>“It’s no big, and anyway, I told you why I really sent it.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know. But still, you could have at least let us <em>pay </em>for it!”</p><p>“Old friends don’t make each other pay for that kind of stuff. It was a gift, let’s just leave it at that. I humbly accept your gratitude though.”</p><p>“Okay, okay. How’s the company doing anyway? I can say that your letterhead is quite impressive.”</p><p>“Thank you! I helped design the logo. It just didn’t feel right if Pavlov wasn’t featured on every envelope. It’s going well. I know you’ve read the articles, so let’s just leave it at that.”</p><p>“You don’t have to be so humble all the time, Michael. You’re twenty-one and the president of a huge company! Enjoy it!”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, thanks and all that. Did my donation end up helping the campaign?”</p><p>She nodded enthusiastically, “it really did. And the commercial really brought it over.”</p><p>And that’s when they got to Lilly. Mia said the commercial was wonderful, and then suspected that Michael had something to do with it. He remembered how he had told Lilly to start being nicer the week prior and wondered if that had somehow come up between the girls. She was looking at him with searching eyes now, but he turned the conversation to how he couldn’t believe that they still weren’t friends.</p><p>She admitted that they weren’t exactly <em>not</em> friends but admitted that she still didn’t know exactly what happened years ago. Michael told her that he didn’t know either, which wasn’t entirely true. Lilly had told him <em>some </em>stuff (but never in detail), but he knew that it wasn’t his place to tell Mia.</p><p>Luckily, they were then distracted by dessert. Mia kept reading through the options and said that she couldn’t seem to decide what to order because it all looked so good. That’s when Michael went a little overboard and requested that they get everything on the menu.</p><p>“What? Michael, you can’t-“</p><p>“Mia, we’re still celebrating your success,” he interrupted, turning back to the waiter with a bright smile. “We’ll have everything, please.” She looked stunned, still basking in the afternoon sunlight. She looked even more beautiful now that there was a smile permanently attached to her lips.</p><p>Mia then asked him about Japan, and unlike during his interview, he happily obliged. He kept having stories spill out of him, about the cultural difference, the unavoidable karaoke, and his friends. He noticed Mia perk up when he mentioned Midori’s boyfriend, so he brought him up a few more times for good measure. She sure did seem happy to know about that.</p><p>As they were devouring a cream tart, Mia looked out on the lake and began giggling furiously. Michael followed her view and noticed two girls screaming at each other on a small boat. It took him a second to realize that he definitely recognized one of those girls. </p><p>“Is that <em>Lana Weinberger</em>?” he asked, laughing along with Mia. “On a rowboat?”</p><p>Mia, still giggling, nodded. “Yeah, uh, she mentioned that she and Trish might go boating today. I didn’t realize she meant <em>row</em> boating.”</p><p>Michael could tell that was a lie because Mia’s nostrils flared. But she seemed too caught up in watching them to notice though.</p><p>“You two are friends now, right?” She gave him a sheepish look and nodded, finally calming herself down. “I almost can’t believe that. You once threw an ice-cream cone at that girl.” His teasing tone helped her relax again.  </p><p>Mia shrugged, “Hey, she doesn’t make fun of Tina anymore. And she’s really not that bad once you get to know her. At least I finally have someone to do girly stuff with, hence my better haircut.” She winked as she flipped her hair dramatically.</p><p>“Hey, I always liked your haircuts. I thought you looked like a pixie when it was short.” She gave him a look. “You know, in a cute way.”</p><p>Her cheeks flared pink and she looked down at her plate. “Yeah, well, whatever. I think I like it better longer.”</p><p>“I’ll admit it, it <em>does </em>really suit you, Mia.”</p><p>She smiled up at him, the blush becoming more pronounced across her face. The check came before she needed to reply, and Michael whipped out his credit card faster than you could say ‘Genovia’. The waiter was off with the card before Mia could open her mouth to argue.</p><p>“You do realize that we’re here because I wanted to thank for you donating a million-dollar robotic arm to Genovia, right? Meaning that I’m meant to pay.”</p><p>He flashed her a grin, “you already paid for our drinks at the café, so we’ll call it even.”</p><p>“Yes, because a lukewarm hot chocolate I spilled all over your pants and a 3-course meal is the same thing.”</p><p>“Yeah, well.” The waiter brought back the check and Michael happily signed it. “I want to celebrate your book getting published, so who cares why we planned this? That’s way more important.”</p><p>He stood up assuredly and offered his hand to her. He felt her hesitation while she stared at it for a moment, looking as if she thought it would shock her. But then she took it and he helped her up, letting it linger for a beat longer before he let go. They walked out of the restaurant side-by-side with Lars trailing them. It was mid-afternoon now, but Michael knew that he wanted to keep it going. He still hadn’t told her yet. He asked if she anything else to do that day, really hoping that she would say no.</p><p>Again, she hesitated and looked at him thoughtfully, but admitted that she was free until four. He grinned, looping his arm under hers, proclaiming that they could keep celebrating.</p><p>She froze up after he took her arm. By the time she managed to ask him what they would do, he was already walking her over to a horse carriage. He definitely had a plan.  </p><p>Michael saw her expression go from puzzlement to complete shock as he asked if she had ever ridden in one. He had certainly never taken her on one; there was no way he would have ever been caught dead riding in a horse-drawn carriage when he was a teenager. Even Adult Michael had to admit that it was super cheesy, but he also knew that Mia would secretly love it. And the thought of them sitting alone in the carriage was sounding really appealing.  </p><p>He was thrilled to hear that she never had and felt no embarrassment when one of her arguments against going was that “they’re for people who are on dates” and he replied with a simple “perfect.” He could tell that even with her arguing, she did really want to go. And he was eager to please.   </p><p>Michael handed the driver some money and instructed Lars to sit in the front with her, adding to not turn around. Lars’s lips turned up slightly at his gumption before he did as he was told.</p><p>If Michael and Mia would ever get their moment, it was then and there. </p><p>Mia was still protesting, but also laughing just the same. She then insinuated that the carriages were cruel to horses, and the driver looked insulted, snarking something back to Mia.</p><p>Michael was trying not to laugh now because Mia had a guilty look cross her face. He gave her a fake disappointed look and tutted quietly at her. She just <em>had </em>to get in the carriage now. He stood in front of the step and held his hand out for hers, just like he had in the restaurant. And just like she had then, she looked hesitant to take it.</p><p>
  <em>Come on, Mia. If you really have no feelings for me, what’s the worst a dorky carriage ride can do? </em>
</p><p>He saw her glance around for a moment, perhaps to see if there was anybody watching her. She seemed satisfied enough though because she finally rolled her eyes and let her help her in the carriage. She laughed as she climbed in and he followed right behind her. And soon enough, their knees were bumping into each other’s as they rode along Central Park.</p><p>Michael was playing his luck now. He had just-so-casually put his arm around Mia when the carriage first started moving. In the moment, he pretended to be examining the scenery but really, he was just studying her reaction. And she leaned back into his arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. So, he kept pushing it a little further, scootching ever so slightly closer to her.</p><p>She looked pointedly at him after a few minutes and it looked like she had a speech prepared. But no words ever came out. Michael was just sitting there, looking into her eyes. And then he was looking at her lips and it felt like they were just calling out to him. That urge he had felt in the café was back and much stronger than before. But he was willing himself not to do anything without her permission first. She would have to be the one to make the next move.  </p><p>He tore his gaze away from her mouth and back into her eyes, desperately seeking the answer he so craved. She stared back at him, and it was like they were two souls lost in time. And then it happened. She glanced down at his lips and then back up. Her own were slightly parted. She had a look in her eyes he had never seen before. She was screaming for him to go for it.</p><p>And so, he did. He tried to be gentle about it, as gentle as a man who had been waiting for this kiss for two years could be, but it heated up almost immediately He wouldn’t be proud to admit it, but his mind went blank and his animal instincts emerged as they deepened the kiss. He was suddenly that teenage boy making out with his girlfriend in his college dorm room.</p><p>It was like he was a starved animal. He was so hungry for her that it was like all his sense and self-control were lost. And it seemed to be the same for her. She was kissing him back with just as much ferocity. Her body was pressed up against him, so much so that she was practically in his lap.</p><p>He couldn’t control his hands as they re-inspected the territory they had once known so well. They were running through her hair, and then holding her neck, and then moving a bit lower, all on their own. He didn’t care about anything else, <em>couldn’t </em>care about anything else. All he knew in that moment were Mia’s lips, firmly planted on his as they rode down twenty or so blocks.</p><p>He didn’t even notice how much time had passed until the carriage came to a sudden stop (well, it seemed sudden for him) and it was like the rest of the world came flooding back. He was panting and couldn’t focus his vision.</p><p>She came back to reality much faster than him. “Oh my God!” She looked at him with utter horror, but he didn’t couldn’t find it in himself to care. His chest kept rising and falling with his heavy breaths and he was still softly holding her face in his hands. This was definitely the moment.</p><p>“Mia, you <em>have </em>to know. You have to know I lo-“</p><p>But her hand collided with his mouth, not allowing him to finish. He was so startled that his own hands dropped to her arms.</p><p>“<em>DO NOT SAY IT</em>.”</p><p>She then whipped her head around and told Lars that they were leaving. He hopped out and helped her down without another word. And then they were gone, with Michael staring blankly as she hurried away. He had finally caught his breath and his mind was clearing up as his sense returned.</p><p>He had just let her get away, <em>again. </em>He had no chance of stopping her now and instead pulled out his phone. A text was the only thing he could do.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Mia,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m not sorry. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And I’ll wait.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Love,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Michael</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>God, I kept getting anxious/overwhelmed while writing this chapter. I'm not sure if it was all the dialogue from the actual book (which I tried to get through without just copying) or if it was because I knew just how ~ steamy ~ some of it would be coming from Michael. Also, "Tis the Damn Season" kept playing over again in my mind.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Knight Rides at Midnight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The longest chapter by far and there's still a bit more to come! The theme song of this chapter is most definitely "Long Story Short" from Taylor Swift's Evermore album. Enjoy as always! xx</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sitting inside the carriage alone, Michael felt more emotions coursing through his body than ever before. He felt humiliated because the driver was staring dead at him, open-mouthed. He felt distraught because his mind kept replaying Mia’s voice screaming “Oh my God!” He felt euphoric as he remembered the warmth of her lips against his. He felt cold because she had just leapt out of his arms. He felt angry because she hadn’t let him say what he’s wanted to say for years. He felt hope as he pictured the look she gave him before they kissed. And he felt mournful because he wasn’t sure if she would ever admit it out loud.</p><p>Without making any eye-contact, Michael handed the driver a generous tip and muttered a thanks before heading off to the street. He couldn’t stand to look at the pleasant greenery and joyful visitors in the park. Walking the long way home from Central Park to his SoHo apartment, Michael couldn’t quite get his bearings. This was partly due to his imbalanced physical state that their passionate kissing had left him with, but more so to do with the unruly feeling left in the pit of his stomach.</p><p>His brain was desperately trying to process through his scrambled thoughts. He had hoped that their lunch would really become a date and that perhaps, if he played his cards right, he would admit his feelings and she would do the same. But that’s not what happened exactly.</p><p>What happened was that he treated it as a romantic event from the start, feigning blissful ignorance of her practical engagement and tentative plans to follow her boyfriend across the country.</p><p>It didn’t matter what she told him, Michael just continued on with his flirting and wooing. He ignored her uncomfortable looks or fidgeting, throwing out compliments no matter how much she pretended to not notice them. And then he went even further, and essentially forced her onto that ridiculous (<em>amazing</em>) carriage ride. And then he kissed her.</p><p>And sure, she zealously kissed him back. And he certainly had waited (using all of his willpower) until he was sure that It was what she wanted. And yet, he felt a bit… nauseated?</p><p>Not to be confused, he felt elation to know that there was unquestionably something still between them. But he also worried that he had taken things too far too quickly. He had kept pushing his limits throughout the entire afternoon. He hadn’t cared that she seemed awkward, or that she heartily refused the carriage ride. He hadn’t cared that she looked at him with horrified eyes after they broke apart from their kiss. And he especially hadn’t cared that she rejected his attempted admission and ran away. He had continued to toss her compliments, had tried to admit his feelings, and had sent her that text.</p><p>He hadn’t cared in those moments, taken over by a mixture of lust and love. But as he carried on through the streets and his hazy mind cleared, he replayed their time together. And now, he definitely cared.</p><p>In fact, he felt downright sleazy.</p><p>He had made Mia into a cheater. Even if she was ultimately the one making her own decisions, Michael had undoubtedly been the one pushing her into it. He knew for certain that he had come on too strong. No matter how confident he was that she loved him just as much as he loved her, was that a good enough reason to act so recklessly? They had spent a <em>long </em>time very passionately kissing in the carriage out in plain sight. He knew better than that. There could be leaks and a story out before he even arrived at his loft.</p><p>“Princess Seeya Later and the Tech Homewrecker”, “The Princess and the Chea(t)?”, “Princess Mia: Romantic Day in the Park… But NOT with her Fiancé!”</p><p>And those were the nicer versions of what would actually be written.</p><p>And it would all come down on her because <em>she </em>was the princess and the one that was engaged to be engaged or whatever. It was her name that would get dragged through the mud. Michael’s name would appear as a sideline, quickly forgotten, and at worst, he would face some embarrassment. Mia, on the other hand, would be pounced on by a media and public constantly looking for reasons to break down young celebrities. The thought of himself being the cause of that made him feel ill.</p><p>He had no regrets about showing Mia his true intentions, but he wished he had gone about it another way. Maybe he should have written her a letter and let her come to him instead? She definitely would have left J.P. then… Right? He felt a pain in his gut when he considered that she might not even dump J.P. now, despite everything that had just happened. That thought made him feel sicker.</p><p>There was really nothing he could do now. He had put it all out there, and it was up to her to move forward.</p><p>But that didn’t mean he didn’t compulsively check his phone throughout his whole walk home. He kept feeling phantom vibrations, but his messages were clear every time he opened them. At one point, his phone really did ping, but it was just his dad confirming dinner at Michael’s loft later that evening.</p><p><em>Oh, great. </em>Michael had forgotten all about his promise to host them. He didn’t have anything he could serve them, or enough plates to serve anything on. But he couldn’t cancel now, it was too late. And it wasn’t his family’s fault that he had made an absolute ass of himself that day and was now facing somewhat of a personal crisis.</p><p>So, as any mature adult would do, Michael ordered Chinese food once he arrived at his loft. His shirt was sticking to his back with sweat caused by the summer humidity and ridiculous sports coat he was wearing. Why had he chosen that restaurant again?</p><p>Oh, right. It’s because he knew how much Mia would love it. And how pretty she would look next to the lake. With the sun beaming down on her-</p><p>Whatever, he needed to push those thoughts out of his mind. He needed to get his (cold) shower out of the way and get ready in time for his family (plus Kenneth)’s arrival.</p><p>He hopped out of the shower and checked his phone again unnecessarily before tossing it onto the bed and changing. God, was this what his life would be like now? Obsessing over that damn phone, waiting for the love of his life to finally answer him?  </p><p>The food arrived just before everyone was meant to get there. Michael tried his best to make it look nice, laying out all the food on his new dining table (that he hadn’t used yet). He even tried to spruce up the living room in the same way the designer had when she first showed everything off to him. Michael even <em>fluffed </em>a few pillows. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he really wanted his parents to approve of his new place. He was a big adult man and stuff now, sure, but he still hoped that they would like it</p><p>He took another futile peek at his phone while waiting for his family to ride up the elevator to the loft. The screen flashed a message and he unconsciously sucked in a sharp breath.</p><p>It was from Boris. He wanted to know if he could come over the next day to check out the apartment and maybe play a few video games.</p><p>Michael felt himself deflate before texting back a quick “Sure, any time after twelve.” It wasn’t that he <em>didn’t </em>want to hang out with Boris, but he would have definitely preferred to make plans with someone else. As in Mia. That someone else was Mia. There was really no need to be coy anymore.</p><p>Michael put on a big smile as he opened the door and let everyone in. His dad made a low-whistling sound as he entered the apartment, and his mom’s eyes bugged out momentarily.</p><p>“Wow, Michael. This place is…”</p><p>“Big,” Lilly ever-so-kindly finished for her. “Really freaking huge.”</p><p>Michael shrugged back, trying not to feel self-conscious. He was well-aware of how big it seemed, especially in the front room. But it wasn’t really <em>that</em> big. Really.</p><p>“It’s really not that big, it just seems that way now,” he said awkwardly. “Uhm, anyways, food? I think I got everyone’s favorites.”</p><p>His parents managed to get over their initial shock quite quickly and smiled as he led them over to the table.</p><p>Once they were all settled and eating, Michael’s father asked, “so, what were you up to today, Michael?”</p><p>The question caught him off guard and Michael started choking on the piece of broccoli he had been chewing. Was it over the news? Were there pictures of them circulating? He imagined a picture of him with his hands over Mia in a comprising position with a title reading out “A Royal Scandal: The Princess and the No-Longer-A-Pauper!” His parents looked concerned and Lilly was staring at him oddly. Kenneth was forcefully patting Michael on the back.</p><p>Michael chugged down some water and cleared his throat, waving Kenneth off, “Sorry, I’m fine… Uhm, not that much really. Just kinda hung around.”</p><p>His dad nodded, frowning at him. Oh God, did they all know he was lying? “Well, I hope not at the office. We’re worried about you being stuck there day in day out.” Michael glanced at his mom who was giving him a sympathetic look. Maybe he needed to stop panicking about his afternoon activities.  </p><p>“Oh… Uhm, no. Honestly, these first few weeks are going to be crazy, but it’ll settle down once all the teams are hired. I got my assistant this week, so that’s already some things off my plate.”</p><p>“Okay, just make sure not to work too hard, Michael. You’re still young, let yourself have a little fun,” his mom gave him a smile, which he tried to return. If they were just worried about him working, he didn’t have any problems.</p><p>“So, how was your last week of high school?” Michael turned to Lilly and Kenneth, eager to move the conversation away from himself.</p><p>Kenneth shrugged while Lilly rolled her eyes and declared that she was way too ready for it to be over. “All we have now is prom…” she gave Michael a pointed look that he missed because he was looking down at his chopsticks. His years in Japan made him pretty skillful with them. “And graduation on Sunday.”</p><p>He looked up and absentmindedly nodded at her. “Right, I’m sure you guys must be excited. You’re valedictorian right, Kenneth?” The younger boy nodded back happily and Dr. Moscovitz asked him about his speech, which he began explaining. Michael smiled politely and tried to listen intently, but honestly? It sounded like Kenneth’s speech was going to be a real snooze fest. He was apparently trying so hard that he kept missing Lilly looking at him.</p><p>As much as he tried to avoid it, Mia stayed in the back of his mind like a painful reminder. He kept discretely checking his phone under the table, but it didn’t seem like anyone had taken notice. ‘Seem’ being the operative word.  </p><p>After putting away the leftovers, Michael was showing his parents the rest of the loft while Lilly and Kenneth stayed back to examine his TV setup. He was standing out in the hallway while his parents inspected his bedroom. It was while his mom was stubbornly fixing his bedsheets and his dad was testing the window’s strength that Michael felt a harsh tug on his arm. He turned and was met with his sister’s glare. <em>She knows. How does she always freaking know? </em></p><p>He checked to confirm that his parents were still occupied and grabbed Lilly’s arm, dragging her down the hallway to avoid being overheard. He dropped her arm and leaned in, hissing, “<em>What?</em>”</p><p>“You know what.” She kept her glare while crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>Michael signed, pushing back some of the hair in his face. “Look, Lil, it was a mistake. Kind of, I don’t know.” But she also didn’t seem to know because her eyes were narrowing as he spoke.</p><p>“What are you talking about?”</p><p>What?<em> Does she not know? </em>“What are <em>you </em>talking about?”</p><p>“Do you not remember what I told you?” Her eyes were so now narrow they were snake-like.  </p><p>“About what?” He racked his brain, but it was coming up blank. It seemed that lunch had messed with his brain in more ways than one.  </p><p>Rather than answering like any normal person would have, Lilly rolled her eyes and grunted, “Whatever,” before going back to the front room. Michael didn’t have time to question her further because his parents were already calling him back.</p><p>Okay, so maybe he should stop feeling so paranoid about their afternoon. But what had Lilly told him that was so important?</p><p>He never got a chance to ask her because once they were all set to leave, Lilly was the first one out the door.</p><p>“So, you’ll pick up Nana in the morning?”</p><p>Michael hadn’t gotten to spend much time with her during her visit last week, so he had offered to be the one to pick her up this time. He’d have to get up early on a Sunday, but he was happy to do so. “Yeah, I’ll drop her off around 10.”</p><p>His mom gave him one last kiss on the cheek before leaving and Michael shut the door behind him. As he stood in his living room, all he could hear was the familiar traffic outside. For the first time since returning home, Michael suddenly felt… Lonely. He wasn’t sure if it was watching his family leave or the day’s events that had left him feeling like an empty shell, but he wasn’t a fan of the sudden awareness he had.</p><p>He hadn’t felt like this since his first few weeks in Japan. At the time, he had desperately wanted to speak to Mia, who had been his reminder of home for so long. Now… He felt exactly the same way. Love really did bite sometimes. He would have also been happy with Pavlov, but he and his parents had already agreed to wait until next week to try moving him.</p><p>He crashed down onto the couch and flipped on the TV. He settled on a show about people selling stuff to a pawn shop on the history channel. It wasn’t great, but Michael was too drained to search for anything else. He watched for a bit, only now realizing how comfortable his new couch was…</p><p>Who cares if he’s alone? Who cares about the empty feeling in his chest? All Michael cared about at that moment was how nice his new couch felt and how much the guy selling his antique set of mermaid figurines was going to get for them. They were arguing. The guy said $1800, the pawnshop guy said $750… He was outraged… They were negotiating… And sold.</p><p>Michael drifted off to sleep with one last fleeting thought. <em>Oh, did she mean…</em></p>
<hr/><p>He woke up early the next day with a crook in his neck. Oh God, he had not meant to fall asleep on the couch. It didn’t matter how young he was, no neck could survive that angle without causalities. He groaned as he got up, squinting at his phone. It was around 6 in the morning.</p><p><em>Oh, great. </em>Not only did he have the work schedule of a middle-aged man, he also now had the sleep schedule of one too. He rubbed his eyes, yawning. He still had a few hours before he had to head to the airport.</p><p>He walked into the bathroom attached to his bedroom, glancing at the bed as he passed. It looked appealing, but… He couldn’t bring himself to lie down. He was tired, but more so by life than a lack of sleep. Without intention, he checked his phone for messages once more. Disappointed but unsurprised, he left the damn thing to charge and tried to push it out of his mind. He knew that it was stupid to keep expecting to see something so soon, but he couldn’t help the bundle of anticipation that stubbornly get building itself up.</p><p>He considering popping into the office and going through any paperwork that had arrived during his afternoon off. But then he recalled his parents’ concerned looks during dinner and silently promised himself that he wouldn’t go into the office on weekends unless absolutely necessary. He could still send emails from home; he didn’t need to be there in person today.</p><p>He was finally fine until he was suddenly struck by the memory of what he’d done the afternoon before and the fear of any potential news crept back into his gut. Perhaps he’d go for a run and stop at a coffee shop on the way back. Just to see if there was any talk.</p><p>He was out in the streets a few minutes later, jogging through SoHo and glancing at newsstands as he passed. He couldn’t really read anything at his pace but didn’t notice any too-familiar faces. Not that their little rendezvous would ever be front-page news. But he still had some irrational uneasiness about the possibility.</p><p>He walked into the coffee shop sometime later a bit sweatier than appropriate, but no one paid him much mind. He grabbed a coffee with an egg sandwich and lingered as he put in his sugar, ears open for any gossip that potentially stood out to him.</p><p>There was absolutely nothing of interest. He overheard one lady describing her daughter’s prom dress, another gentleman telling his friend about a date he’d been on, and a couple discussing a television show. No, there was nothing Michael needed to be worried about.</p><p>He returned home feeling better about things. He would probably still check the news on his laptop later that day, but it definitely didn’t seem like there was any story he needed to worry about.</p><p>After a shower and (another) quick peek at his phone, Michael replied to some emails. He also did a short search of Mia’s name and was somewhat pleased (and somewhat irritated) to see that everything seemed to center around her “engagement” and her father’s campaign. The Genovian polls were closing soon, but no results had been published as of yet.</p><p>He grabbed his things and hailed a cab to take him to the airport. There were a few messages on his phone, but none of them contained the message he was hoping to see. His heart took a bit of a dive.</p><p>It was almost incredible to recall how he had felt barely a week ago on the plane from Japan. He had been so confident, so sure of himself, and so completely unaware of the hope he had pushed far into the back of his mind. Everything had changed so much in just a few short days.</p><p>His grandma was pleasantly surprised to see Michael waiting for her as she came down the runway. He greeted her with a smile as she enveloped him in a tight hug.</p><p>“Oh, Mikey! I feel like I haven’t gotten to see enough of you since you’ve come back.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and beamed up at him.</p><p>He grabbed her suitcase from her as they walked out of the terminal. “I feel the same way. How was your flight?”</p><p>“Oh, it was alright. I don’t much like flying back-and-forth, but I needed to come back for Lilly’s graduation. Oh, I pray that she doesn’t wear all that makeup. It’ll ruin the pictures.”</p><p>He didn’t answer her as he flagged down another cab. He was starting to wonder if Lilly put so much effort into her look just to piss off the adults in her life. Otherwise, it didn’t seem worth it.</p><p>They chatted in the car as they drove back to Manhattan. She told him that she was considering moving from Florida to be closer to them, which his parents had been speaking about since his grandfather’s passing. She asked about work and he told her that work was going well, but that it still felt like they were getting used to their new surroundings.</p><p>“And you’ve been spending time with friends, yes?”</p><p>“When I’ve got the time, yeah.” He gave her a smile that he hoped didn’t look nervous.</p><p>“And are you see anyone special?”</p><p>He gave her a careful look. “No… not exactly.” He didn’t much like lying to his grandmother, but it wasn’t technically a lie.</p><p>“Mmm…” she looked back at him with a sad smile. “If you really want it, Michael, it’ll all work out. That is what you want, current?” She stared at him in a way that made him feel like she was somehow reading his mind and he glanced out at the window behind her. After a moment, he nodded slowly.</p><p>She gave him a pat on the hand. “Then like I said, it’ll all work out.”</p><p>The rest of the trip was left in a comfortable silence. Nana went back to look out the window and Michael stared up front, trying not to think about it anymore. He kept having to remind himself that it was all up to Mia now and that there was nothing left for him to do.</p><p>He took his grandmother’s bag up to the apartment for her and greeted his parents. They invited him to stay for lunch, but he declined, happy to have Boris as an excuse. He really didn’t want them to ask him any more questions. And he really didn’t want to have to deal with Lilly, who was thankfully still sleeping when they arrived.</p><p>He waved goodbye to everyone before taking the subway back to his loft. This time, he was relieved to live alone. He took a spot on the couch and turned on a video game for the first time since he’d been home. It was sometimes good to be an adult.</p><p>Boris buzzed the loft around 12:30 pm.</p><p>“Nice one.” He was grinning and pointed to Michael’s old Skinner Box shirt he had put on that morning</p><p>Michael grinned back, “Oh, yeah. We’ve gotta try to get the band back together while you’re here.”</p><p>Boris nodded as Michael led him inside to the main space. He gave a very Boris-like impressed face and a thumbs up, “Dude, this place looks even better in person. I almost expect you to tell me some mafia boss really owns it or something.”</p><p>Michael shushed him and made a slashing motion over his neck. “Shh, we don’t say these things out loud.” They shared a fake-serious nod and Michael showed him around the loft. The younger boy was most excited to see the gaming set-up and what was going to be his own room.</p><p>“Ooh, I can’t wait for Tee to see this place. She’s going to be so jealous about having to live in a tiny dorm.” And then he paused, looking a bit embarrassed. “Assuming it’s alright if Tina comes over sometimes?”</p><p>Michael snorted back, “Yeah, it’ll be no problem. I’ve already hired someone to sound-proof your room.” Boris went bright red. “… For your violin, of course,” he added with a sly grin, and they both laughed.   </p><p>“Right… I would’ve brought her today, but it’s prom tonight and she’s spending the day getting ready.” Michael nodded back but was then suddenly struck with something. <em>The prom. That’s what Lilly was talking about. </em></p><p>“I’m gonna go use the bathroom,” Boris said as he walked back to the hallway.  </p><p>“Yeah, sure… I’ll get some cokes,” Michael answered distractedly, moving towards the kitchen. <em>What had Lilly said again? Prom, midnight… The elevators? Something about Mia needing help. </em></p><p>He heard Boris yell something from another room and vaguely answered with a “yeah.” Why would he ever need to go to prom?</p><p>Before he could finish that thought, Boris came into the kitchen with a smug expression on his face. “I think I can make this work.”</p><p>Michael replied with a friendly grunt and handed him his drink. “Yeah, yeah. Though I’m sure you’ll miss whatever roommate you were supposed to have.”</p><p>“Oh, definitely. But how do you feel about hosting a few parties?” They shared a grin and clinked their glasses together. “Seriously, though, thank you, Mike. This is really cool of you.”</p><p>Michael suddenly realized just how happy he was to have Boris around. Even though he had taken the fast-track through college, this might give him a chance to take back some of his youth.</p><p>Oh, God. He really was starting to sound like a middle-aged man now.</p><p>They spent a few hours playing video games and chatting about nothing too important. They talked about Boris’s last week at AES, Michael’s new office, what games were coming out soon. They exchanged stories, made plans, and yelled out fake insults about each other’s playing. They ordered some pizza and stuffed themselves with it. The hang-out was so refreshing that Michael had completely forgotten about his phone and the message he was waiting on. He just felt light, happy, and full.  </p><p>They agreed upon Boris moving in sometime in July. He was going to visit some family in Russian over June and then wanted to give his parents some time to adjust to his moving out. It all sounded like a great plan.</p><p>It was almost 4 hours later when Boris finally stretched and said that he should probably go home and get ready for the dance.</p><p>“I’ve still got to pick up my tux and Tee’s corsage.”</p><p>Michael snickered a bit, “Yeah, have fun with that.”</p><p>But Boris gave him a confused look back, “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Well, prom isn’t exactly the most fun thing ever.”</p><p>He shrugged back, “I’m excited. I get to spend the whole night dancing with my beautiful girlfriend… And Wahim, but he promised to leave us alone afterwards.”</p><p>Michael scrunched up his nose and nodded, unconvinced. Obviously, Boris was a different person to him, but he still found the idea of prom just so unappealing. “Yeah, sure, I guess. Well, I hope it’s as good as you think. See you at graduation tomorrow.”</p><p>Boris gave him a funny look but nodded, turning towards the elevator.</p><p>Before he closed the door, Michael remembered Lilly’s words again. “Hey, Boris. Where’s your prom going to be?”</p><p>He gave Michael a bit of a victorious smile, “Waldorf-Astoria. 8 o’clock.”</p><p>They said a quick goodbye and Michael shut the door, feeling a bit stupid after seeing Boris’s face. <em>Am I really </em>that<em> obvious?</em></p><p>The thought of prom was like an alarm in his head and he instantly checked his phone for the first time in hours. He let out an unwitting sigh when he saw that there was still no word from her. Not that he expected one, considering she was probably at home getting ready for her long-awaited prom.</p><p><em>Hmm…</em> Why would Mia need his help by the elevators? He definitely had an idea, but the thought made him grimace and he would have preferred to pretend that it wasn’t a possibility. And, surely, Lilly wouldn’t send him for that? What would he even be able to do, fight for Mia’s honor like the knight from her book? She wasn’t some damsel in distress; everything was her decision. Not to mention the fact that she has a giant bodyguard strapped to her at all times.</p><p>Shaking his head, Michael forced himself to stop obsessing about it. It was still so early and all his plans for the day were already over. He needed to do something else… Avoid wasting the whole day sleeping on his couch or thinking about-</p><p>He signed heavily and resorted to asking some of his work friends to dinner. He couldn’t handle another night of sitting alone in his loft again, especially not tonight.</p><p>He was grateful to get some yeses and they planned for dinner around seven. He had to kill some time until then. Since he was video-gamed out and his emails were answered, Michael resorted to the hobby that had helped him through some trying times in Japan: exercise. Even though he had already taken a jog that morning, a more strenuous work-out was just what he needed. And anyway, he had to work on maintaining his newfound broad shoulders.</p><p>He went down the street to the gym that was a pay-as-you-go place. He was glad to have the distraction as he pumped loud music into his ears and lifted some weights. As long as he didn’t have to keep thinking about the stupid prom.</p><p>Following his work-out, Michael cleaned himself up and headed out to dinner at a restaurant uptown. He took the subway since he could spare the time and was annoyed to see a bunch of teenagers dressed in formal wear. He almost rolled his eyes as he heard the group giggle and chat across the car. Why would anyone ever be <em>that </em>excited to go to a dance? Unless it was to save the girl you liked from an awful date. Or admit your feelings to her or something. Then, fine, they weren’t that bad.</p><p>But otherwise? Nothing redeemable about them really.</p><p>Whatever. He was an adult man now, going to dinner with his other adult friends. He was not a teenager going to prom.</p><p>Dinner was a good time. It reminded Michael so much of being back in Japan, how self-assured he had felt when he was there. There, he was just Michael the team lead. The guy who had all the answers. Here, he sometimes felt like he didn’t know anything at all. Life had been so much easier without the distraction of love, so much clearer without his desperate pining.</p><p>He let himself forget about Mia again as he drank beers and laughed with his friends. They were switching between English and Japanese, talking animatedly with each other. This was exactly what he needed after such a week. A different type of familiarity.</p><p>They finished a bit past ten and Michael was now reasonably tipsy and very stuffed. Someone in the group suggested a club, but he declined firmly. He wasn’t even close to drunk enough to be convinced to go out dancing.</p><p>He got to his apartment around eleven and plopped down on the couch, once again reminded of how cushy it was. He turned on the TV and felt his phone buzz in his pocket. His heart made a leap as he pulled it out. Was this the message? Was it finally happening?</p><p>He was smacked in the face with disappointment when he saw that it was Lilly who had texted him. All the message said was “!!!” <em>Great, Lilly. Real descriptive. </em></p><p>He was about to reply when he noticed the time on his phone. It was almost half-past eleven. He had completely forgotten about midnight.</p><p>Staring down at the time, he paused. Was this the right thing for him to do? He had said that he’d wait for her, and coming to her rescue or whatever was definitely not that. She was meant to be coming to him, not the other way around.</p><p>Mind racing, his pride almost got in the way. Almost.</p><p>But then he remembered the fond smiles she had given him the day before. And how dazzling she had looked in the afternoon sunlight. And the familiar tickle of her breathing against his neck.  </p><p>And he threw all sense of pride out the window. He grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys as he ran out the door. He didn’t care that he didn’t have a guarantee of what would happen between them. All he cared about was that she knew that he wasn’t planning on leaving again this time.  </p><p>Michael was thrilled when he was able to flag down a cab quickly. Unfortunately, it was still Saturday, and traffic wasn’t doing him any favors. He kept checking his watch. 30 minutes till, 25, 15… The minutes kept counting down as the sound of honking surrounded them. They were less than a mile away now.</p><p>“Hey, can you just let me out here? Thanks, man.” He handed the driver some cash and stumbled out of the car. He was completely sober now, but the nerves that were building up in his stomach made him unsteady.</p><p>And then he was running down 50<sup>th</sup> street in his jeans and T-shirt. It felt so ridiculous and cliché that Michael couldn’t believe that this was real life. He passed Rockefeller Center and could suddenly picture Mia’s tongue bleeding violently against the ice. But he could also picture the 16<sup>th</sup> birthday he had planned for her almost exactly 2 years ago. There was no ice-skating rink open tonight like there had been then.</p><p>He felt like the knight in Mia’s book, the one he had secretly been hoping was based on him. Maybe this was just how it was meant to be.</p><p>He arrived at the hotel a few minutes before midnight and headed straight for the lobby. He stopped right in his tracks when he saw two familiar figures talking directly in front of the elevators. He carefully moved closer, almost hidden behind a large plant. He made eye-contact with Lars who gave him a simple nod. Michael could now hear most of what the couple was saying.</p><p>He saw J.P., wearing a stupid plastic crown on his head, spread his palms out to Mia, who was looking at him furiously. He noticed that she was holding her own crown as she crossed her arms. He then heard her say something about a hotel room.  </p><p>The elevators, midnight, a hotel room. The idea that Michael had tried to bury was definitely confirmed now.</p><p>She was now shaking her head at J.P., and Michael heard the words “hooking up” come out of her mouth. He almost stormed J.P. when the guy dropped his hands and looked at her with an utterly unbashful face. He was speaking much louder than Mia and asking her what was wrong with whatever she had been talking about. He said something about wanting to make it special for her. Michael really wished that he wasn’t hearing this conversation now, but he also couldn’t seem to move away. Lars was watching the twosome very intently.</p><p>Mia spoke with a much softer voice, but Michael could see her narrowed eyes and stiff posture. He could have sworn that he heard her say something about Lilly. That’s when J.P. started vigorously shaking his head and evidently began implying that Lilly was lying because Mia interrupted him and told him to stop. She had now raised her voice and was speaking hotly.</p><p>So much so that Michael clearly heard, “She told me you slept with her!” there was more, but Michael was now seeing red and couldn’t hear anything else. That <em>fucking asshole. </em>Not only had he stolen Michael’s girlfriend, J.P. had also used Lilly while knowing he wanted Mia.</p><p>Michael hadn’t even realized that he was walking towards them until the elevator door opened directly in front of them. He was so shocked that he froze in place. Before he even could look at him, Lars was already checking the elevator and asking Mia something. He gave J.P. a cold look when he tried to answer, but Mia did a doubletake between him and the elevator. Before he could finish, she had interrupted him with the chilliest “no” Michael had ever heard.</p><p>He no longer felt the need to go punch J.P. in the face. His terrified expression gave him the satisfaction he needed at that moment.  </p><p>He noticed the switch as Mia changed into princess mode. She straightened her back and put on a distinguished look. She then pulled the stupid diamond ring off of her finger and tactfully into his palm, which saying some crap about being friends. J.P. looked absolutely miserable and it filled Michael with such a rush of joy he couldn’t even begin to explain.</p><p>The idiot tried to plead with her, but she stopped him and gave him the most pathetic pat on the shoulder in history. Michael almost laughed out loud as he watched J.P. look at her with sad puppy-dog eyes.</p><p>She then said the funniest thing about Stacey Cheeseman having a crush on him and Michael had to literally cover his mouth to not laugh. This whole night was feeling a bit too <em>Seventh Heaven </em>for him. He shared a look with Lars who also looked like he was suppressing the urge to laugh.</p><p>J.P. kept trying to argue with her, looking totally dejected. But then she held up a hand for him to stop and gave him a short kiss.</p><p>Michael took a few steps back from them, giving her some privacy. The kiss didn’t bother him in the slightest. It gave off an air of finality, as J.P. stared back at her with a crestfallen face. Michael also wasn’t bothered because he caught sight of Mia’s own expression, and it seemed like she was trying against all will to be as gracious as possible. It certainly seemed more gracious than their breakup had been.</p><p>As a final act of hilarity, Mia then hurried away from him and flipped out her cell phone. She was walking towards Michael now, too involved with her phone call to notice him. She said something about a cease and desist on J.P.’s play, which Michael thought was pretty badass.</p><p>He was taking slow steps toward her, about to call out to her when she smacked right into him. He was struck with such a sharp pain that his vision went momentarily fuzzy. Unfortunately for him, she had been putting her phone away in the moment and the end of her crown had been pointed directly at his shoulder.</p><p>“Oh my God.” <em>Oh, not that again. </em>“What are <em>you </em>doing here?”</p><p>He rubbed his shoulder as he grumbled, “What do you <em>think </em>I’m doing here?” <em>I’m obviously here rescuing you. Or more like getting attacked by you. </em></p><p>She suddenly looked very panicky and started asking him how long he’d been there and how much he’d heard. He was looking back at her clearly now, the pain having dulled. He didn’t really want to admit how much eavesdropping he had done, but admitted, “Enough to make me feel nauseous.” She was looking at him with wide, worried eyes and he wanted to lighten the mood, deciding to mock her about her Stacey Cheeseman line. He was just saying how <em>Seventh Heaven</em> she sounded with a smirk as she grabbed his arm and dragged him around the corner. He would have been embarrassed to admit the thrill that came over his stomach as she pulled him</p><p>He was dismayed when she dropped his arm as soon as they were noticeably out of J.P.’s range. <em>Of course. </em>She demanded to know what he was doing there. And even though she was trying to look stern, Michael noticed her glancing him up and down. That gave him all of the confidence he needed, and he grinned back at her.</p><p>He explained about Lilly’s message to him a few days ago, but that it didn’t seem like she needed his help anyway. He was deeply happy with the shade of scarlet she was turning as he spoke and smugly wrapped an arm around her waist. That waist that was finally free for him. Even though he was quite sure of the answer, he asked Mia why she thought Lilly had wanted him there.</p><p>Mia noticeably didn’t move his arm but began speaking with a quick, high-pitched voice. “I think it’s because she knew I always wanted to spend my senior prom with you.” <em>Sure, that’s definitely it. </em>He laughed with a sarcastic air and called Lars over. He was now remembering the rage he had felt just minutes ago.</p><p>He asked Lars whether he thought that he should go turn J.P. Reynolds-Abernathy the Fourth into cream of wheat. Neither of them was grinning when the bodyguard nodded and agreed. Michael dropped his arm from Mia’s waist and was feeling murderous all over again.</p><p>Mia had regained her panicked expression and yelped, “Lars! No. No! Michael, it’s over. J.P. and I just broke up. You don’t have to hit anybody.”</p><p>“Well, I think maybe I do.” Not even the reminder that Mia was now single was enough to distract Michael from what he had heard about Lilly or the smug look J.P. had given when the elevators opened. “I think maybe the earth would be a better place if somebody had turned J.P. Reynolds-Abernathy the Fourth into cream of wheat a long time ago. Lars? Do you agree with me?” There was no joking air as he spoke.</p><p>The bodyguard said something about it being after midnight and union regulations. Michael suggested that Lars could hold him while he hit him. And he was completely serious until Mia grabbed his arm again and pulled him towards her.</p><p>She proposed that Lars take the night off and then turned back to Michael. She had the strangest look on her face as she said,” And Michael, why don’t we go back to your place?”</p><p>It was like Michael’s brain had fallen out of his head and splattered to the ground. He just gawked down at her, unable to think or speak. <em>Did she really-</em></p><p>“That sounds like a completely excellent idea.” He didn’t even care that his voice had cracked as he complied. He turned to look at Lars in bewilderment, who just shrugged and agreed. <em>Is this real life?</em></p><p>He was still staring at her shell-shocked as Mia led him outside and into the limo. All Michael had been able to croak out was his address to Hans, her driver.</p><p>He was now watching her as she wrote furiously into her journal.</p><p>She glanced up at him, smiling and pushing a hair out of her face. That was what finally pulled him out of his trance.</p><p>“Hey,” he smirked at her, “Why don’t you drop the journal and pay attention to me for a bit?” She giggled a bit, writing down a few last lines before putting the book into her purse and sliding towards him.</p><p><em>Surreal</em> was all Michael could think. </p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Their Moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was anxiously biting her fingernails as they stood in the elevator together. He had a firm grip on her other hand and was swaying it a bit absentmindedly as they rode up to his floor. Neither of them spoke, but the tiny room was filled with an air of anticipation and nerves.</p><p>He only let go of her when he needed to unlock the door, holding it open as she walked in. He flicked on the light switch and there she was, standing in his living room, staring at him with wide eyes.</p><p>It was then that he really took in her appearance for the first time tonight. His eyes involuntarily panned up from her feet to her face, taking just a moment longer than appropriate to appreciate her bare legs. She was wearing a black lace dress that was short and tight and nothing like he had ever seen her in before. She didn’t look like Princess Mia and she didn’t look like his old-girlfriend Mia. She looked like the new adult Mia he was getting to know.</p><p>“Erm, you look amazing. Not very prom-like though, is it?” he teased, finally meeting her face. Her cheeks flushed a bit. He could feel his own face heating up.</p><p>“Ha, no, it’s not.” She was restlessly twirling the plastic crown in her hands. “Honestly? It felt like the right thing considering what we did yesterday.”</p><p>He opened his mouth to apologize, worried that she was saying it with regret, but Mia just giggled and put the crown down on a nearby table. He gave her a smirk.</p><p>“Well, it looks really good on you.” His eyes did another scan without him meaning to and he cleared his throat. “Are you hungry? I’ve got some Chinese leftovers”</p><p>Mia smiled at him and nodded. “Starving.”</p><p>He took her hand again and led her into the kitchen. He pulled out the food he had from yesterday, including a full box of cold sesame noodles. He had ordered them more out of habit than anything else because no one in his family was really a fan. It was somehow too perfect that fate had led them here.</p><p>They sat on opposite counters to each other, eating from the leftover food boxes. They fell into easy conversation. He teased Mia about the bruise that her tiara would leave him with, and she teased him right back about eavesdropping on her. They quipped back in forth, laughing and giggling with an air of content.</p><p>“So, have you decided what college you’re going to?”</p><p>Mia grinned at him, putting down her empty container. “Sarah Lawrence. It’s got a great writing program <em>and </em>they don’t care about SAT scores.”</p><p>He beamed, picking up the trash and putting it into the bin. “I knew that there was no way you didn’t get in anywhere. I can’t believe people actually believed that.”</p><p>Mia looked at him with mock offense, “Hey! I am a very accomplished liar.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m well aware of that,” he winked at her as they made their way back into the living room.  </p><p>Wordlessly, they both sat down next to each other on the couch. It was only then that Michael allowed himself to take in the fact that they were alone. They were really truly alone for the first time basically ever. There was no risk of them being interrupted this time. There were no bodyguards, parents, friends, roommates, or anyone who could possibly disturb then. It was painfully aware that Mia had come to the same realization as him as they both sat in utter silence.   </p><p>The elephant in the room had certainly made itself known.</p><p>They looked at each other meaningfully. This was their moment. Michael needed to seize their moment.</p><p>But instead, he blurted out, “You don’t mind that you’re missing any after-prom parties, right?” He mentally cursed himself. His nerves had gotten the better of him.</p><p>She looked at him a bit startled, but also amused. “Oh, no, ha-ha. No one’s really doing afterparties, they’re all probably in their hotel rooms doing…” she trailed off, looking embarrassed. She was fiddling with a finger. The elevators. With that guy. Midnight.</p><p>He took her hand gently and spoke with the softest voice he could muster, “hey… I don’t care about any of that. It’s not my place to wonder about what you’ve been doing these past two years. I’m just happy that we’re finally here, you and me.” And he meant it.  </p><p>She was bright red and whispered, “I never… We never…” she trailed off again. <em>Huh? …Oh. OH. </em>Even though he knew he didn’t have a right to, Michael felt a wave of relief wash over him. He tried to hide the delight from his face as she glanced back at him. His expression seemed to give Mia some type of confidence though, because in a much stronger voice she teased, “I’m surprised you don’t know that though. Considering you’ve had Boris spying on me all this time.”</p><p><em>Busted. </em>Her smirk was widening while his face flushed. “Hey, <em>no</em>, it wasn’t spying! I just implied for him to keep an eye on you.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, sure.” She grinned as she stuck her tongue out at him.</p><p>He playfully rolled his eyes. “I was worried! We broke up and you didn’t answer me for weeks. I didn’t know what else to do.”</p><p>Her smile faltered and her face became solemn all of a sudden, “Yeah, I was in a bit of a bad place after our breakup…” She looked away from him again and didn’t elaborate. He wouldn’t push it; that was a conversation for another day.  </p><p>He gently pulled her chin to meet his face. “Trust me, I was too.” She looked up at him and gave a small smile. “But then I saw the photos of you and J.P. and felt like I needed to let you go. At least, just for a little while. I kept hoping that we might be able to get back… But then Boris kept telling me about how madly in love you were with J.P. and I… I convinced myself that I was okay with that.” She was looking at him thoughtfully now and he was surprised by his own candor.</p><p>“I guess I might have <em>looked </em>like I was in love… But I can definitely tell you now that I wasn’t.” He felt the corners of his lips curl up.</p><p>She squeezed his hand as he nodded. “But then I saw you at Columbia, looking so beautiful and so… <em>shy</em>.” Michael let out a laugh while Mia blushed. “You were so awkward and couldn’t speak. And <em>that </em>is what made me realize that maybe Boris was wrong. Maybe you weren’t as over us as he thought.” She was smiling again, listening dreamily to his words.</p><p>“But then J.P. gave you that stupid ring for your birthday,” she frowned. It was almost funny to see how quickly her facial expressions kept changing. “And I knew that drastic measures were called for. I needed to do something to blow him out of the water and show you what I really wanted. So, I left your party.” He gave Mia a mocking look and she grimaced in embarrassment, “<em>not </em>because I didn’t care. But because I had to go make the arrangements to send the CardioArm to your dad.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’ve figured that out now…” she muttered sheepishly.</p><p>“<em>And</em> because I knew I had to leave before I wiped the floor with that guy’s face.” They shared a look before laughing together.</p><p>After they settled down, Mia sighed. “My dad sent me an article about you coming back a few days before your ceremony and I- I freaked out. And I didn’t know why. Well, I guess <em>did </em>know why, but I couldn’t admit it…”</p><p>He gave her a cheeky smile, “and then…” She scrunched up her nose in the most adorable way.</p><p>“And then Lana convinced me to go see you at Columbia and I freaked out even more. You just looked… You look so <em>grown up</em> and then I saw your family and… And I went to hide out in the bathroom so I could leave without seeing you and ruining the whole thing. But, lo and behold, Lilly catches me in the bathroom and drags me off to see you. I guess she must have seen my feelings before anyone else did.”</p><p>He grinned, “thank God for Lil.”</p><p>“She really has always been the one helping us out, hasn’t she? …I can’t believe that I spent the last two years fighting with her… I was so incredibly stupid.”</p><p>“Can’t argue with that logic.” She wiped the smirk off his face with a pillow.</p><p>“Shut up, you could have just <em>told </em>me how you felt. Like at Caffe Dante.”</p><p>He gave her an incredulous look. “Are you kidding? I flirted with you the whole time! And you kept brushing it off. And if you recall, I did try to tell you yesterday…”</p><p>The mention of their lunch caused an air of seriousness to pass over them. They were looking intently at each other.</p><p>Mia spoke with a delicate voice, “Michael, I’m so sorry about that… I was overwhelmed because I still didn’t really think that ‘we’ were a possibility… I mean, why would you want <em>me </em>when you’re <em>you</em>?”</p><p>She was looking down at her feet in a way that Michael had only seen a few times before. She looked… Ashamed, embarrassed… And sad. This was their true moment.</p><p>He moved closer to her on the couch and grabbed both her hands, pulling her to look back at him. “Mia, I want to say something that I never want to have to repeat. A few years ago, I was an insecure kid who was constantly worrying about never living up to his princess girlfriend.” She started to speak, but he squeezed her hand to signal her to stop. “I went away for a long time to prove my worth and succeeded in accomplishing something that I’m proud of. And that’s great, and I’m thankful, but I also realize that you never thought I had something to prove. You didn’t care then, just like I don’t care now. What you’ve done is just as important as what I’ve done. You’re amazing, Mia, and not just because you were born a princess. I thought you were perfect before, just like I think you’re perfect now.”</p><p>He had removed one hand from hers and was now gently cupping her cheek. She beamed as her eyes sparkled with tears. </p><p>“Mia, I never stopped thinking about you while I was in Japan, and even though I wouldn’t have admitted it two weeks ago, I never stopped loving you either. I always had a small hope that everything would fit back into place when I came back.” She was now holding the hand on her cheek.</p><p>Mia opened her mouth to speak, but Michael remembered something suddenly. “Wait, hold that thought.” She shut her mouth with a confused frown as he jumped off the couch and into the hallway. He emerged a few seconds later holding something behind his back.</p><p>As he sat back down, his voice had a melodic quality, “Now, I don’t have some big fancy diamond ring or anything. But I hope that this will be even better…” Mia’s eyes became massive as he presented the small box to her.</p><p>“Uhm, Michael…” He laughed when he realized why she looked so terrified.</p><p>“Oh no, definitely not. There’s no way I’m ready to give up my last name just yet.”</p><p>He pushed the small box into her hand and she slowly opened it, glancing at him with cautious eyes.</p><p>Mia sucked in a large breath when she saw it, two tears flowing down her cheeks. He felt tears of his own forming as he automatically wiped hers away with his thumb. “Oh, Michael…” she gushed, delicately picking up the necklace. “Where did you get this?”</p><p>He softly took the chain from her and clasped it around her neck. “I found it after you left the hotel that night. And I’ve kept it ever since… I guess I always hoped that I’d see you wearing it again.” Michael gave her a small, embarrassed smile. The only person he could ever imagine being this sappy for was the beautiful girl in front of him. This was really their moment now.  </p><p>“Mia, I love-“</p><p>“I love you, Michael,” she interrupted before he could finish. He looked a bit taken aback and let out a bit of a snort. She grinned. “Sorry, I just wanted to be first for once… I love you, Michael Moscovitz. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. And I’ve never been happier than I am right now.”</p><p>This time, there were no longing stares or gazing eyes. They didn’t pause to look at each other or ask for permission. Without a second’s hesitation, they both leaned in and kissed each other deeply. Mia’s arms went seamlessly around Michael’s neck, and his arms slipped around her waist. They only pulled apart just long enough for Michael to say, “I love you too, Mia Thermopolis. Always have, always will.”</p><p>They stayed on the couch for a while, lips interlocked and hands re-discovering each other. It was Michael who leaned back first, gasping for air. Both of their chests were rising and falling viciously. “Do you want to…” he nodded towards the hallway.</p><p>“Yes,” Mia breathed. There was a blazing look in her eyes that was causing every muscle in his body to burn. He was trying incredibly hard to keep a clear mind.</p><p>He grinned as she stood up immediately, holding a hand out to him. But he had more control than he had two years ago. He was an adult now, and he could be patient. “Are you sure? Because if you’re not-“ She grabbed his hand and yanked it, roughly pulling him up.</p><p>“Michael, just shut up and take me to your room.”</p><p>Well, he wasn’t <em>that </em>patient. Without another word, he scooped her up in his arms bridal-style and practically sprinted towards the hallway.</p><p>Their moment was finally here. Really and truly here.</p>
<hr/><p>There’s something incredibly strange about waking up and realizing that you have everything you’ve ever wanted. <em>Surreal</em> is the only way to describe it.</p><p>That’s exactly how Michael felt when he woke up and felt something warm leaning against his chest. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to figure out if he was stuck in some cruel dream or not. But he could feel her breath tickling him. And her fingers gently grazing his stomach. This was real life.</p><p>He peeked down at the figure and saw a mess of blonde hair in the morning light. He moved his arm over her back, stroking a bit of bare skin softly. He could see just a hint of her cheek right over his heart. Was it even possible to be this happy?</p><p>“Michael,” he felt her voice vibrate against his chest that caused a fluttering throughout his body, “I can feel your heart beating and it’s so freaking loud.”</p><p>He laughed, “I bet that’s not the only thing you can feel. Now turn around and come smell my neck or whatever.”</p><p>Mia moved her head so that she could now look at him clearly, eyes still squinting with sleep. He almost let out a gasp at how beautiful she looked, even with the smudgy makeup and messy hair. She somehow looked better than ever to him. “How do you know about the neck thing?”</p><p>He shrugged, wrapping both arms around her. There was a small smirk teasing his lips. “It’s just kind of noticeable when you dig your nose into it at every opportunity.”</p><p>Mia sighed, relaxing into his arms. “Well, if the secret’s out.” She took a large whiff, and the air gave him a familiar excitement.</p><p>“Alright, stop! Stop, you creatin.” He pulled her face up to kiss her lips. “You’re so beautiful in the morning you know,” he mumbled, plastering her face with soft kisses. “So, incredibly beautiful…” His kisses were moving down her jawline and onto her neck.</p><p>“Mmhmm,” was all she could manage to reply.</p>
<hr/><p>Mia was writing wildly in her journal while Michael prepared some kind of breakfast for them.</p><p>“You’re not going to include <em>everything</em> in there, right?” he asked as he cracked some eggs in a pan. He was half-joking, half-serious. The thought of Mia writing out details made his face burn.  </p><p>She giggled, “no way. That’s our secret…” He swore he heard her mumble, “for now,” before going back to her journal. They continued with their tasks in a comfortable silence.</p><p>“Oh my God!” Mia exclaimed so abruptly that Michael almost dropped the toast he had been holding. He looked at her expectantly, trying to catch his breath. “The election!”</p><p>The two of them scrambled over to his laptop and looked up the results.</p><p>“Dad won!” Mia squealed, jumping and giving Michael a big hug. “Wait…” she gave him a suspicious look, “You didn’t rig the Genovian voting machines, right? In an effort to win back my affections?”</p><p>He rolled his eyes, “How desperate do you think I am? Mia, I would never go that far.” She gave him a look. “Okay, fine, whatever. But just because I’m a computer genius does not mean that I’m capable of rigging voting machines in a small European country many thousands of miles away from here… And they use Scantron anyway.” He gave her a wink and shrugged.  </p><p>She pointed to her eyes and then to his to indicate ‘I’m watching you’ before whipping out her phone to call her dad. Right before he picked up, Mia panicked, “what if he asks where I am?” Michael heard Prince Phillipe’s voice before he could answer with more than another shrug. </p><p>“You won by a landslide?” she repeated for Michael, and he grinned and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She rolled her eyes and wiped off the spit, gently pushing him away. She turned the phone out a bit so that he could hear.  </p><p>“Yes, a significant majority voted for me. The reason everything was so delayed is because voter turnout was so much higher than expected. It took them a long time to count everything.” He sounded thrilled.  </p><p>“Yes, yes… So, what I’m hearing is that the people of Genovia <em>like </em>being given the chance to vote?” She had a gloating tone.  </p><p>“Yes, I suppose you were right in giving them the choice,” Michael almost laughed at the smugness in Mia’s face. “But there was also a delay because René demanded a recount and that took some time as well.” She rolled her eyes.</p><p>Michael whispered, “tool,” and Mia had to cover her mouth to avoid giggling into the phone.</p><p>“It’s alright though. I offered him a seat in cabinet as the Vice-Chairman of tourism. I thought he’d like that.”</p><p>“That’s very kind of you, Dad.” She mouthed <em>too kind</em>. “Are you going out celebrating tonight?”</p><p>“I am, actually. I’ll be attending my daughter’s graduation in a few hours.”</p><p>Mia’s mouth dropped open and Michael kissed her to put her out of her shock. She stuck her tongue out at him. “Dad! I can’t believe you flew out here!”</p><p>“I wasn’t going to miss out on today for anything in the world. I’m at the Plaza with your grandmother, and we’ll be meeting you all at Central Park.”</p><p>With a large grin, Mia said goodbye to her dad and hung up the phone. She looked up at Michael speechlessly.</p><p>He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the head. “Come on, our eggs are burning.”</p><p>Over breakfast, Michael commented, “you know, I can’t believe how much of a cliché you are.”</p><p>Mia looked over at him with a small frown. “What do you mean?”</p><p>He raised his voice about an octave higher than her own, “I’ll be ready on my senior prom. I’ll be the prettiest prom queen and my knight-in-shining-armor will come save me from the evil pompous prince.”</p><p>Mia scoffed and threw a piece of toast at him, “I never said any of that stuff! Okay, maybe about prom… But the rest was purely coincidence!”</p><p>He grinned cheekily, “so you’re saying that the knight in your story wasn’t based on me?”</p><p>“… I knew I shouldn’t have let you read it,” Mia grumbled, pushing around her eggs with a plastic fork. He still needed to go shopping for real utensils.  </p><p>Michael laughed and pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. “I’m glad you did, it even inspired me a bit… But I have one more serious question for you.” He put on a solemn face and she looked at him with worried eyes.</p><p>“Do you love-love me, or do you love me like a friend?” He smirked as her eyes widened with recollection and she lightly hit his shoulder.</p><p>“Michael, shut up or I swear to God that you’ll never get past second base with me again.”</p><p>He stuffed a forkful of eggs into his mouth.</p>
<hr/><p>They spent another hour milling around the loft until Mia declared that she needed to go home and get dressed.  </p><p>“Alright, let me go change and we’ll head over.” She gave him a stunned stare and he frowned. “What?”</p><p>“You want to come with me to my house… After I’ve been out all night… Even though my family watched me leave the house with another guy last night?”</p><p>Shrugging, he considered, “better they find out sooner than later. Not their fault you’re loose with your men,” he gave her a wink and slipped away before the pillow she had thrown hit him.</p><p>Mia looked nervous as they took the limo over to her apartment, tapping her fingers against her thigh. She was still wearing her prom-attire from the night before, but at least her face was now clean. Her fidgeting was starting to make Michael nervous, but he knew that this had been his idea and he needed to look sure of his decision. He flashed her a confident smile and kissed her knuckles. “It’ll be fine. Great even.” She gave him an uncertain smile. <em>Yeah, she definitely believed that. </em></p><p>Although Helen and Mr. G definitely looked surprised to see that it was Michael attached to Mia’s hand when she walked into the apartment, neither of them said anything. In fact, they both gave him warm greetings and Mia’s mom even hugged him. He wasn’t sure if she was happier to see him or relieved to see Mia’s bare ring finger. </p><p>Luckily, there was no time for awkward questions because Rocky ran over to hug Mia. And even though he didn’t seem to remember Michael, the little dude was already showing his drum set off when Mia left to go take a shower. There was no chance of interrogation as the toddler kept running back and forth to Michael, who was sitting obediently on the floor, showing him toy after toy.</p><p>While Mia got ready, the only thing the adults spoke about was the election. There was definitely something awkward in the air, but it pretty much went as well as it could have. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken acknowledgment that Michael and Mia were back together.</p><p>When Mia came out and the five of them headed downstairs, Michael discretely whispered, “you look beautiful,” in her ear.</p><p>She flushed pink and gave him a kiss on the cheek, mumbling, “shut up.” He could almost see the memory of them earlier that morning flashing across her eyes.</p><p>They all got into the limo and Michael sat next to Mia. The rest of them chatted as she wrote in her journal, and Michael almost snorted when he peeked over her shoulder and noticed his name written out without any effort.</p><p>God, he was so happy. And her permanent smile told him that she was too.  </p><p>When they arrived at Central Park, Michael gave Mia a kiss on the cheek and left to go sit with his own family. His mom saw him and waved him over to their seats. “Hey, sorry I couldn’t meet you guys this morning. I hitched a ride with Mia,” he threw in casually as he sat down next to his father. He figured that he might as well tell them now, and honestly? He was too excited to not mention it.</p><p>He was met with confused looks from his parents and a smile from his grandmother. “But… Didn’t we watch her get engaged to that boy at her birthday party?” His mother had a concerned expression on her face as if he was one of her delirious patients.</p><p>Michael bit back a laugh. “Yeah, kind of. But all you have to know is that I’m happy and she’s happy. We’re back together.”</p><p>Neither of them replied, but his grandmother leaned over to give him a pat on the knee, nodding approvingly.</p><p>The ceremony was long and incredibly boring. Kenneth gave the dullest speech imaginable and it was clear across the entire audience. Dozens of people were dozing off, and Michael could clearly see a majority of the graduates texting on their phones. Even Lilly was texting, and it was her boyfriend who was droning on!</p><p>The only good part was watching everyone walk across the stage. He cheered extra hard for Lilly, Mia, and Boris, and even clapped politely when Lana Weinberger went across. He had a certain fondness of her now that he knew that she was the one who pushed Mia to see him. He also remembered how utterly stupid she looked on that rowboat a few days before.</p><p>When the ceremony finally ended, Michael gave Lilly an uncharacteristic hug, which she unusually returned. “Congrats, graduate,” he flicked the tassel on her cap.</p><p>“And congrats to you too,” she smirked at him before their parents engulfed her in a hug. He was able to play off the redness in his cheeks because Kenneth and his family joined them.</p><p>The entire graduating class and their guests walked across the park to the restaurant for the official post-graduation reception. There was excited and happy conversation all around. There was a lightness in the air until an earth-shattering scream pierced through the crowd. There was a great rush towards the parking lot.</p><p>It was a freaking pony. Lana Weinberger was being given a pony. Michael caught Mia’s eye across the way, and they shared a knowing grin. She had mentioned something about a pony over breakfast.   </p><p>He spent a few polite minutes with his and Kenneth’s families after being seated until finally, Lilly rolled her eyes, “Oh, just go already. I can’t watch you and your puppy-dog eyes any longer.” She tried to look annoyed, but there was some satisfaction evident in her face.  </p><p>Giving her a bashful shrug and a toothy grin, Michael assuredly made his way over to Mia’s table. She smiled when she noticed him approaching but then gave a warning nod in the direction of her grandmother.  </p><p>Although he wasn’t thrilled to see the old bat, he didn’t care in the slightest. He approached them without a second’s hesitation and planted a short kiss on her lips, taking the open seat next to her. Everyone was now staring at him, but he gave Mia’s father and grandmother a large smile. “Hi, it’s nice to see you guys. And congrats on the election.”</p><p>There was a long moment where nobody spoke. Mia, Helen, and Mr. G were looking between the two sides of the table, a mixture of anxiety and amusement radiating from them. The only source of relief was Rocky playing with some toy cars.</p><p>Immediately, Clarisse pulled a familiar expression of disgust, but it was quickly replaced with something else. A begrudging respect it seemed. She was definitely remembering his generous donation.</p><p>Phillip’s reaction was quicker. He seemed to accept the situation right away and extended a hand to shake Michael’s. And that was that, no questions necessary.</p><p>They all chatted politely as speeches were told around the room and toasts were made. Mia was absolutely beaming, and whenever she smiled his way, Michael’s heart danced in a way that only she could spark.</p><p>They both shared a funny look when there was some shrieking coming from his own family’s table. It sounded like Kenneth was going to Columbia, his first choice, after all. “Oh God, so I’m going to have to deal with my sister <em>and </em>her boyfriend in the city?” he mumbled jokingly, and Mia covered her giggle with her hand. At least he knew that she’d be around too.  </p><p>At one point, while Mr. G was deep in a story about his college days, Mia turned to Michael and quietly declared, “I’m going to go over and say hi to your parents.”</p><p>She had this incredibly comical determined expression and he realized that she must have been deliberating about her decision for some time. He gave her an equally determined nod, suppressing the laugh that was coming up. He didn’t bother telling her that they already knew as she strode over to them. She gave Lilly a warm but hesitant hug as she came over, and then he saw her leaning in to speak to his parents and grandma.</p><p>She returned a few minutes later looking incredibly relieved and Michael laughed as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He gently held it on her lap.</p><p>His grip only tightened when he saw J.P. with his family approaching the table.</p><p>Mia gave Michael a nervous glance, but he just returned a composed smile. J.P. honestly didn’t bother him that much now. Sure, he hated his guts and would still happily wipe that permanent smug look off his face. But it was now Michael who was holding onto Mia while the other guy stood awkwardly and watched.</p><p>He kept that same smile as J.P. looked at him while his dad spoke. J.P. Reynolds-Abernathy the Third mentioned something about Hollywood and Michael relished the alarmed looks that spread across Phillipe and Clarisse’s faces. Mia had definitely never mentioned the possibility of going to California with him.  </p><p>Michael almost laughed when Mia sat up and quickly intercepted the conversation by mentioning Sarah Lawrence. He felt a surge of pride as she credited the point he had made about SAT scores and Mia’s father gave him a quick glance of gratitude. “And it’s so close to here, so I’ll be able to pop in and visit Fat Louie and Rocky.” He also noticed her glance in his direction with a tiny smile.</p><p>Her entire family was thrilled, but surprisingly, it was Clarisse who was the most delighted. She started going on about how she was meant to go there or something, and then started saying something about having “buttercup yellow walls” with a far-off look in her eyes. Michael’s eyes were starting to glaze over when he quietly interrupted the monologue to ask Mia to dance. She looked more than happy to have an excuse to leave the table and accepted.</p><p>They were one of the first couples on the dance floor, giggling as he twirled her. “Did I mention how beautiful you look today?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.</p><p>Mia rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the rising corners of her lips. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Now shut up before I make you shut up.” She gave him a playful scowl.</p><p>“And how do you plan on doing that?” he teased. She pretended to contemplate for a moment before pulling his collar so their lips could meet. It was quite a successful method in shutting him up.</p><p>They were soon joined by more people, including Helen, Mr. G, and Rocky, Lilly and Kenneth, and Tina and Boris. Lilly and Kenneth were doing quite an eccentric interpretive-styled dance, and Michael had to avoid looking at Mia to stop himself from laughing. Tina and Boris were looking at each other so gaga-eyed that Michael would have gagged if he wasn’t feeling so sappy himself.</p><p>He was absentmindedly watching Rocky jump around in circles when Mia abruptly stopped dancing and he almost stepped on her foot. “No. Just… no,” he heard her mumble. He looked down to ask what the matter was, but she was frozen. Following her stare, he saw Mia’s dad with Ms. Martinez and almost laughed. <em>This again? Shouldn’t she be used to this by now? </em></p><p>He tried to get her to start swaying again, but Ms. Martinez slapped Mia’s father out of nowhere and it seemed like everyone was now watching them. Philippe looked as bewildered as Mia looked horrified, urgently calling him over. Michael kept a reassuring hand on her back, but he was stifling a laugh.</p><p>It seemed that the prince had told his daughter’s former English teacher something that was apparently only appropriate for a lingerie model, as Mia so elegantly put it. Her father said something about her being intoxicating and Mia immediately buried her burning face into Michael’s neck. Her breath tickled him in that all too familiar way.</p><p>Phillipe was calling after Ms. Martinez, yelling stuff like, “Karen, come back! We can talk about this!” Michael was chuckling as he narrated it all back to Mia. The prince had managed to catch up to her in the parking lot, and she was now holding his hand. Michael couldn’t help but tease Mia about whether she would be able to call this stepparent by her first name.</p><p>She kept breathing in his neck, not even attempting to hide her odd compulsion now. It was entirely endearing to him now.</p><p>“Hey, quit sniffing me a minute and lift your head up.”</p><p>She removed her face and looked up at him with a pout. “Why?”</p><p>He grinned, pulling her closer to him. “So I can do this.” He firmly kissed her. He used to hate PDA, but he honestly didn’t give two flying shits about who saw them now.</p><p>He was disappointed as Mia pulled away with a small smirk. “So… Are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend yet, or what?”</p><p>He rolled his eyes before dramatically taking a deep breath. “My lady, my light, my <em>Mia</em>,” one of her eyebrows quirked up, “Will you do me the greatest honor in agreeing to be my girlfriend, <em>nigh</em>, my life-partner?” He gave her his most gallant of smiles. </p><p>“Hmm…” she pretended to consider for a moment. “I suppose I could manage it. But you may owe my father a goat or two.”</p><p>They laughed and Michael spotted Mia’s dad frantically kissing Karen in the parking lot. “I think that can be arranged.”</p><p>He bent down and leaned his forehead against hers as they swayed to the music. This was no longer their moment. This was their forever. Or, at least, what Michael hoped would be forever.</p><p>
  <em>Surreal. </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And, finally, the End! Probably, maybe... There's always the potential for more with me. If you have any Mia/Michael storyline you'd like written (and you liked my writing style), let me know! And please drop a Kudos/comment if you got through this entire story and enjoyed it! </p><p>But for now, that's it. Special thanks go out to Meg Cabot and Miss Taylor Swift for the magic that is Evermore, and of course, to you for reading this. xx Sofiya</p>
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